EXUBRISJ1 

— 


=f  5o 
A&t* 


— — - 


The  Valiant 
Runaways 


By 

GERTRUDE 
ATHERTON 


New  York 
Dodd,  Mead  and  Company 


1898,  l»y  I)m>i>,  Mi  \i>  &  COMPANY. 


TO 

GEORGE  AND  GILBERT   JONES 

Of  New  York 

WITHOUT  WHOSE    ENCOURAGEMENT  THIS    YARN    WOULD 
NEVER    HAVE    BEEN    FINISHED 


261328 


The  Valiant  Runaways 


ROLDAN  CASTANADA  walked  ex 
citedly  up  and  down  the  verandah 
of  his  father's  house,  his  thumbs  thrust 
into  the  red  silk  sash  that  was  knotted 
about  his  waist,  his  cambric  shirt  open  at 
the  throat  as  if  pulled  impatiently  apart ; 
the  soft  grey  sombrero  on  the  back  of  his 
curly  head  making  a  wide  frame  for  his 
dark,  flushed,  scowling  face. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  surroundings 
to  indicate  the  cause  of  his  disturbance. 
The  great  adobe  house,  its  white  sides  and 
red  tiles  glaring  in  the  bright  December 
sun,  would  have  been  as  silent  as  a  tomb 
but  for  the  rapid  tramping  of  Roldan  and 
the  clank  of  his  silver  spurs  on  the  pave 
ment.  On  all  sides  the  vast  Rancho  Los 
Palos  Verdes  cleft  the  horizon:  Don  Mateo 


2     ''.The  Valiant  Runaways 

<  .Canada  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  gran 
dees  in  the  Californias,  and  his  sons  could 
gallop  all  day  without  crossing  the  bound 
ary  line  of  their  future  possessions.  The 
rancho  was  as  level  as  mid-ocean  in  a 
calm ;  here  and  there  a  wood  or  river 
Voice  the  sweep ;  thousands  of  cattle 
grazed.  Now  and  again  a  mounted 
vaquero,  clad  in  small-clothes  vivified  with 
silver  trimmings,  dashed  amongst  tossing 
horns,  shouting  and  warning. 

But  Roldan  saw  none  of  these  things. 
There  was  reason  for  his  disquiet.  News 
had  arrived  an  hour  before  which  had 
thrown  his  young  mind  into  confusion  :  the 
soldiers  were  out  for  conscripts,  and  would 
in  all  probability  arrive  at  the  Rancho  Los 
Kilos  Verdes  that  evening  or  the  following 
morning.  Roldan,  like  all  the  Californian 
youth,  looked  forward  to  the  conscription 
with  apprehension  and  disgust.  Not  that 
he  was  a  coward.  He  could  throw  a  bull 
.is  fearlessly  as  his  elder  brothers;  he  had 
ridden  alone  at  night  the  length  of  the 
rancho  in  search  of  a  pet  colt  that  had 
-tr.iycd;  and  he  had  once  defended  the 


The  Valiant  Runaways       3 

women  of  the  family  single  handed  against 
a  half  dozen  savages  until  reinforcements 
had  arrived.  Moreover,  the  stories  of 
American  warfare  which  he  had  managed 
to  read,  despite  the  prohibition  of  the 
priests,  had  stirred  his  soul  and  fired  his 
blood.  But  army  life  in  California !  It 
meant  languishing  in  barracks,  hoping  for 
a  flash  in  the  pan  between  two  rival  houses, 
or  a  possible  revolt  against  a  governor. 
If  the  Americans  should  come  with  intent 
to  conquer!  Roldan  ground  his  teeth 
and  stamped  his  foot.  Then,  indeed,  he 
could  not  get  to  the  battlefield  fast  enough. 
But  the  United  States  would  never  defy 
Mexico.  They  were  clever  enough  for 
that.  His  anger  left  him,  and  he  gave  a 
little  regretful  sigh.  Not  only  would  he 
like  that  kind  of  a  battle,  but  it  would  be 
great  fun  to  know  some  American  boys. 
Then  he  shook  his  head  impatiently  and 
dismissed  these  tourist  thoughts.  The 
present  alone  was  to  TDC  considered. 

There  were  two  ways  to  avoid  conscrip 
tion.  .  One  was  to  marry —  Roldan  sniffed 
audibly ;  the  other  lay  in  flight  and  elud- 


4       The  Valiant  Runaways 

ing  the  men  until  their  round  was  over  for 
the  year. 

Roldan  did  not  like  the  idea  of  running 
away  from  anything ;  he  and  several  of  his 
father's  vaqueros  had  once  made  an  assault 
upon  a  band  of  cattle  thieves  and  hunted 
them  into  the  mountains:  that  was  much 
more  to  his  taste.  Nevertheless  there  was 
one  thing  he  liked  less  than  showing  his 
heels,  and  that  was  giving  up  his  liberty. 
Not  to  gallop  at  will  over  the  rancho,  or 
sleep  in  a  hammock,  tocoliar  the  bulls  and 
shout  with  the  vaqueros  at  rodeo,  to  be  the 
first  at  the  games  and  the  races,  to  wear  his 
silken  clothes  and  lace  ruffles,  and  eat  the 
delightful  dishes  his  mother's  cooks  pre 
pared  !  And  then  he  was  a  very  high- 
spirited  young  gentleman.  Although  the 
same  obedience,  almost  reverence,  was  ex 
acted  of  him  by  his  parents  that  was  a 
part  of  the  household  religion  in  Cali 
fornia,  yet  as  the  youngest  child,  who  had 
been  delicate  during  his  first  five  years, 
ho  had  managed  to  get  very  badly  spoiled. 
He  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  leading  a  life 
of  monotony  and  discipline,  of  performing 


The  Valiant  Runaways       5 

hourly  duties  which  did  not  suit  his  taste, 
above  all  of  being  ordered  to  leave  his 
father's  house  as  if  he  were  a  mere  Indian. 
No,  he  decided,  he  would  not  go  into  the 
army  —  not  this  year  nor  any  other  year. 
He  would  defy  the  governor  and  all  his 
men. 

When  Roldan  made  up  his  mind  he 
acted  promptly.  No  time  was  to  be  lost 
in  this  case.  Now  was  the  hour  of  siesta ; 
he  could  have  no  better  time  to  get  away. 
A  note  would  relieve  his  parents  of  a  cer 
tain  amount  of  anxiety ;  and  if  they  did  not 
know  where  he  was  they  could  not  be  held 
accountable.  His  blood  tingled  at  the 
presentiment  of  the  adventures  he  should 
have  in  that  perilous  journey  through  a 
country  of  which  he  knew  nothing  beyond 
his  father's  and  the  adjoining  rancho.  And 
as  adventures  would  be  but  half  spiced  if 
experienced  alone,  he  determined  —  and 
not  from  selfish  motives  only  —  to  save 
his  best  beloved  friend,  Adan  Pardo,  from 
the  grasp  of  the  law  likewise. 

He  went  within  and  slung  about  him 
self  two  pistols  and  a  dagger.  After  he 


6       The  Valiant  Runaways 

had  made  a  small  bundle  of  linen  and 
raided  the  pantry,  he  went  out  to  the 
corral,  saddled  his  horse  and  packed  the 
>udclle  bags,  wound  his  lariat  securely 
about  the  pommel,  then  galloped  away 
on  a  series  of  adventures  memorable  in 
the  annals  of  California. 


II 


ROLDAN'S  way  lay  over  his  father  s 
leagues  until  two  hours  after  night 
fall.  As  he  passed,  every  now  and  again, 
a  herd  of  cattle,  lounging  vaqueros  called 
to  him :  "  Ay,  Don  Roldan,  where  do  you 
go  ?  "  or,  "  The  little  senor  chooses  a  hot 
day  for  his  ride."  But  he  excited  no  curi 
osity.  Like  all  Californians  he  half  lived 
in  the  saddle ;  and  he  was  often  seen 
riding  in  the  direction  of  Don  Esteban 
Pardo's  rancho,  to  spend  a  few  days  with 
his  chosen  friend. 

As  he  approached  the  house  he  saw  the 
family  sitting  on  the  long  verandah  :  the 
pretty  black-eyed  girls  in  full  white  gowns, 
their  dark  hair  flowing  to  the  floor,  or 
braided  loosely ;  Don  Esteban,  a  silk  hand 
kerchief  knotted  about  his  head,  reclining 
in  a  long  chair  beside  his  wife,  a  stout 
woman,  coffee-coloured  with  age,  attired 
in  a  dark  silk  gown  flowered  with  roses. 


8      The  Valiant  Runaways 

Indian  servants  came  and  went  with  cool 
ing  drinks.  Although  it  was  December, 
Winter  had  loitered  and  fallen  into  deeper 
sleep  than  usual  on  her  journey  South  this 
year. 

Adan  was  leaning  against  a  pillar,  moody 
and  bored.  He  was  the  youngest  of  the 
boys.  His  brothers,  elegant  caballeros, 
who  spent  most  of  their  time  in  the  capi 
tal  or  on  other  ranches,  were  kind  to  their 
younger  brother,  but  not  companionable. 
Therefore,  when  Roldan  galloped  into 
sight,  he  gave  a  shout  of  joy  and  ran 
down  the  road.  Roldan  drew  rein  some 
distance  from  the  house,  that  the  confer 
ence,  which  must  take  place  immediately, 
might  be  unheard  by  older  ears. 

"  Listen,  my  friend,"  he  said  rapidly, 
interrupting  Adan's  voluble  hospitality. 
"  The  soldiers  are  out  for  conscripts  —  " 

«Ay,  yi!  —  " 

"  Now  listen,  and  don't  talk  until  I  am 
done.  I  will  not  be  drafted  as  if  I  had  no 
will  of  my  own,  and  rot  in  a  barrack  while 
others  enjoy  life.  Neither  will  you  if  you 
have  the  spirit  of  a  Pardo  and  are  worthy 


The  Valiant  Runaways       9 

to  be  the  friend  of  Roldan  Castanada.     So 

—  I  fly.     Do  you  understand  ?  —  and  you 
go  with   me.     We  ,will    dodge   these  ser 
vants  of  a  tyrant  government  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  Californias.     When  the 
clanger  is  over  for  this  year  we  will  return 

—  not  before.     Now,  you  will  ask  me  to 
go  to  my  room  as  soon  as  possible  after 
you  have  given  me  some  supper,  for  I  am 
tired  and  want  sleep.     You  also  will  take 
a  nap.     When  all  is  quiet  I  shall  call  you 
and  we  will  start." 

Adan  had  listened  to  this  harangue 
with  bulging  eyes  and  tongue  rolling 
over  his  teeth.  But  Roldan  never  failed 
to  carry  the  day.  He  was  a  born  leader. 
Adan's  was  the  will  that  bent;  but  his 
talent  for  good  comradeship  and  his  quiet 
self-respect  saved  him  from  servility. 

In  appearance  he  was  in  sharp  contrast 
to  the  slender  Roldan,  of  the  classic  feat 
ures  and  fiery  eyes.  Short,  roly-poly, 
with  a  broad,  good-natured  face,  his  attire 
was  also  unmarked  by  the  extreme  elegance 
which  always  characterised  Roldan.  In 
summer  he  wore  calico  small-clothes,  in 


io     The  Valiant  Runaways 

winter   unmatched    articles   of    velvet    01 
cloth,  and  an  old  sombrero  without  silver. 

-Ay!  yil"  he  gasped.  "Ay,  Roldan  ! 
Holy  Mary !  But  you  are  right.  You 
always  are.  And  so  clever!  I  will  go. 
Sure,  sure.  Come  now,  or  they  will  think 
\\  c  conspire." 

Roldan  dismounted,  and  was  warmly 
greeted  by  the  family.  The  girls  rose 
and  courtesied,  blushing  with  the  coquetry 
of  their  race.  Roldan  cared  little  for  girls 
at  any  time,  and  to-night  was  doubly 
abstracted,  his  ear  straining  at  every  dis 
tant  hoof-beat.  He  retired  as  early  as  he 
politely  could,  but  not  to  sleep.  Indeed, 
he  became  so  nervous  that  he  could  not 
wait  until  the  family  slept. 

>l  Better  to  brave  them,  Adan,"  he  said 
to  his  more  phlegmatic  friend,  "  than  that 
sergeant,  should  he  get  here  before  we 
leave.  Come,  come,  let  us  go." 

They  dropped  out  of  the  window  and 
^tole  to  the  corral  where  the  riding  horses 
were  kept.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  high 
Vail,  and  the  gate  was  barred  with  iron  ; 
but  they  managed  to  remove  the  bars 


The  Valiant  Runaways     1 1 

without  noise,  saddled  fresh  horses  and 
led  them  forth  and  onward  for  a  half  mile, 
then  mounted  and  were  off  like  the  wind. 

They  knew  the  country  down  the  coast 
on  the  beaten  road,  but  they  dared  not 
follow  this,  and  struck  inland.  The  air 
was  now  of  an  agreeable  warmth ;  the  full 
moon  was  so  low  and  brilliant  that  Roldan 
called  out  he  could  count  the  bristling 
hairs  on  a  coyote's  back. 

In  less  than  two  hours  they  were  climb 
ing  a  mountain  trail  leading  through  a 
dense  redwood  forest.  In  these  depths 
the  moon's  rays  were  scattered  into  mere 
flecks  dropping  here  and  there  through 
the  thick  interlacing  boughs  of  the  giant 
trees.  Those  boughs  were  a  hundred  feet 
and  more  above  their  heads.  About 
them  was  a  dense  underforest  of  young 
redwoods,  pines,  and  great  ferns;  and 
swarming  over  all  luxuriant  and  poison 
ous  creepers. 

They  were  silent  for  a  time.  The  red 
wood  forests  are  very  quiet  and  awesome. 
At  night  one  hears  but  the  rush  of  the 
mountain  torrent,  the  cry  of  a  panther  or 


i  2     The  Valiant  Runaways 

a  coyote,  the   low   sigh    of   wind    in    the 
treetops. 

"Ay,  Roldan,"  exclaimed  Adan,  sud 
denly.  "  Think  did  we  meet  a  bear  ? " 

44  We  probably  shall,"  said  Roldan,  coolly. 
"These  forests  have  many  'grizzlies,'  as 
the  Americans  call  them." 

14  But  what  should  we  do,  Roldan  ?  " 

"  Why,  kill  him,  surely." 

14  Have  you  ever  seen  one  ?  " 

44  Never." 

44  But  it  is  said  that  they  are  very  large, 
my  friend,  larger  than  you  or  I." 

44  Perhaps.  Keep  quiet.  I  like  to  hear 
the  forest  talk." 

11  What  strange  fancies  you  have,  Roldan. 
A  forest  cannot  talk." 

"  Oh  —  hush." 

44  Ay,  yi,  Roldan  !  Roldan  ! " 

The  horses  were  standing  upright, 
neighing  pitifully.  Adan  gave  a  hoarse 
gurgle  and  crossed  himself. 

44  The  adventures  have  begun,"  said 
Roldan. 

In   a   <_nx-;it   swarth    of   moonlight   on    a 
^c  some  yards  above  them,  standing  on 


The  Valiant  Runaways    13 

his  hind  legs  and  swinging  his  forepaws 
goodnaturedly,  was  an  immense  grey  bear. 
Suddenly  he  extended  his  arms  sociably, 
almost  affectionately. 

"  We  cannot  retreat  down  that  steep 
trail,"  said  Roldan,  rapidly.  "  He  could 
follow  faster  and  the  horses  would  falL 
To  the  left !  in  the  brush,  quick  !  —  a  bear 
cannot  run  sideways  on  a  mountain." 

The  boys  dug  their  spurs  into  the  trem 
bling  mustangs,  who  responded  with  a 
snort  of  pain  and  plunged  into  the  thicket. 
Only  the  bold  skill  of  the  riders  saved  them 
from  pitching  sidewise  down  the  steep 
slope,  despite  the  brush,  for  they  were  un 
shod  and  their  knees  had  weakened. 

But  the  grizzly,  alas!  was  still  master 
of  the  situation.  In  less  than  a  moment 
the  boys  saw  him  lumbering  along  above 
them.  He  evidently  had  possession  of  a 
trail,  more  or  less  level. 

"  Dios  de  mi  alma!"  cried  Adan.  "If 
he  gets  ahead  of  us  he  will  come  down 
and  meet  us  somewhere.  We  shall  be 
lost  —  eaten  even  as  a  cat  eats  a  mouse,  a 
coyote  a  chicken." 


14    The  Valiant  Runaways 

"You  will  look  well  lining  the  dark 
corridors  of  the  bear,  my  friend.  Your 
yellow  jacket  with  those  large  red  roses, 
which  would  make  a  bull  sweat,  would 
hang  like  tapestry  in  the  houses  of  Spain. 
Those  hide  boots,  spotted  with  mud,  and 
the  blood  of  the  calf,  would  keep  him 
from  wanting  another  meal  for  many  a 
long  day  —  " 

"  Ay,  thou  fearless  one  !  Why,  it  is  said 
that  if  the  grizzly  even  raises  his  paw  and 
slaps  the  face  every  feature  is  crushed  out 
of  shape." 

"  I  should  not  be  surprised." 

They  plunged  on,  tearing  their  clothes 
on  the  spiked  brush  and  the  thorns  of  the 
sweetbrier,  fragrant  lilac  petals  falling  in 
a  shower  about  them,  great  ferns  trodden 
and  rebounding.  The  air  was  heavy  with 
perfume  and  the  pungent  odour  of  red- 
Avood  and  pine. 

Roldan  had  passed  Adan.  Suddenly 
his  horse  stumbled  and  would  have  gone 
headlong  had  not  his  expert  rider  pulled 
him  back  on  his  haunches. 

"What   is    it?      What    is    it?"   cried 


The  Valiant  Runaways     i  5 

Adan,  who  also  had  been  obliged  to  pull 
in  abruptly,  and  who  liked  horses  less 
when  they  stood  on  their  hind  legs.  "  Is 
it  the  bear  upon  us  ?  But,  no,  I  hear  him 
—  above  and  beyond.  What  are  you 
doing,  my  friend  ?  " 

Roldan  had  dismounted  and  was  on  his 
hands  and  knees.  In  a  half  moment  he 
stood  erect. 

"  We  are  saved,"  he  said. 

"  Ay  ?     What  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  hole,  my  friend  —  large  and 
deep  and  round.  Did  you  put  any  meat 
in  your  saddle-bags  ?  " 

"  Ay,  a  good  piece." 

"Raw?" 

"  Yes." 

"Give  it  to  me  —  quick.  Do  not  un 
wrap  it." 

Adan  handed  over  the  meat,  then  dis 
mounted  also. 

11  A  bear-trap  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Yes,  a  natural  one.  Come  this  way, 
before  I  unwrap  the  meat." 

The  boys  forced  their  way  to  the  south 
of  the  large  hole,  dragging  the  still  terri- 


1 6     The  Valiant  Runaways 

fied  horses,  who  were  not  disposed  to 
respond  to  anything  less  persuasive  than 
the  spur.  Roldan  approached  the  edge  of 
the  excavation  and  shook  the  meat  loose, 
fiinging  the  paper  after  it.  As  the  smell 
of  fresh  beef  pervaded  the  air  it  was 
greeted  by  a  growl  like  rising  thunder, 
and  almost  simultaneously  the  huge 
unwieldy  form  of  the  bear  hurled  itself 
down  through  the  brush.  The  boys  held 
their  breath.  Even  Roldan  felt  a  singing 
in  his  ears.  But  the  grizzly,  without 
pausing  to  ascertain  his  bearings,  went 
down  into  the  hole  at  a  leap.  He  made 
one  mouthful  of  the  meat,  then  appeared 
to  realise  that  he  was  in  a  trap.  With  a 
roar  that  made  the  horses  rear  and  neigh 
like  stricken  things,  he  flung  himself 
against  the  sides  of  his  prison,  drew  back 
and  leaped  clumsily,  tore  up  the  earth,  and 
galloped  frantically  to  and  fro.  But  he 
was  caught  like  a  rat  in  a  trap. 

The  boys  laughed  gleefully  and  re 
mounted  their  horses,  which  also  seemed 
to  appreciate  the  situation,  for  they  had 
quieted  suddenly. 


The  Valiant  Runaways    17 

"  Adios !  Adios  !  "  cried  Roldan,  as  they 
forced  their  way  up  to  the  trail  the  bear 
had  discovered.  "  You  will  make  a  fine 
skeleton ;  we  will  come  back  and  look  at 
you  some  day." 

But  it  was  not  the  last  they  were  to  see 
of  Bruin  in  the  flesh. 


Ill 


AN  hour  later  they  began  to  descend 
the  mountain  on  the  other  side,  and 
by  dawn  espied  a  ranch  house  in  a  valley. 
The  white  walls  were  pink  under  the  first 
streamers  of  the  morning.  The  redwoods 
rose  like  a  solid  black  wall  on  the  towering 
mountains  on  every  side. 

"  Ay  !  "  exclaimed  Roldan,  drawing  a 
deep  sigh.  "  Sleep  and  a  hot  breakfast. 
They  will  be  good  once  more." 

"They  will,"  answered  Adan,  who  had 
been  collapsing  and  digging  his  knuckles 
into  his  eyes  for  an  hour  and  more. 

They  feared  that  no  one  might  be  stir 
ring,  but,  as  they  approached  the  verandah, 
the  door  opened  and  a  stout  smiling  Cali- 
fornian,  dressed  in  brown  small-clothes, 
appeared. 

"  Who  have  we  here  ?  "  he  cried.  "  But 
you  are  early  visitors,  my  young  friends." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     19 

"  We  are  dodging  the  conscript,"  said 
Roldan.  "  You  will  not  betray  us  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  not.  I  'd  hide  my  own 
boys,  if  the  mountains  did  not  do  that  for 
me.  Come  in,  come  in.  The  house  is 
yours,  my  sons.  Burn  it  if  you  will. 
Tired  ?  Here.  Go  in  and  get  into  bed. 
The  servants  are  not  up,  but  I  myself  will 
make  you  chocolate  and  a  tortilla." 

The  boys  did  not  awaken  for  eight 
hours.  When  they  emerged,  somewhat 
shamefacedly,  they  found  the  family  as 
sembled  on  the  verandah,  drinking  their 
afternoon  chocolate,  and  impatient  with 
curiosity.  There  were  no  girls  to  criti 
cise  the  dilapidated  garments  —  which  the 
kind  hostess  had  mended  while  the  boys 
slept;  but  there  were  two  youths  of 
fourteen  and  fifteen  and  two  young  men 
who  were  lying  in  hammocks  and  smoking 
cigaritos. 

Roldan  and  Adan  were  made  welcome 
at  once. 

"  My  name  is  Jose  Maria  Perez,"  said 
the  host,  coming  forward.  "  This  is  my 
wife,  Dona  Theresa,  and  these  are  my 


20     The  Valiant  Runaways 

sons,  Emilio,  Jorge,  Benito,  and  Carlos. 
What  shall  we  call  you,  my  sons?" 

"  My  name  is  Roldan  CastaRada  of  the 
Rancho  Los  Palos  Verdes,  and  this  is  my 
friend  Adan  Pardo  of  the  Rancho  Buena 
Vista." 

"Ay!  we  have  distinguished  visitors. 
I>ut  you  were  just  as  welcome  before.  Sit 
down  while  I  go  and  see  if  the  big  stew 
I  ordered  is  done.  Caramba!  but  you 
must  be  hungry." 

The  four  lads  quickly  fraternised,  and 
Roldan  began  at  once  to  relate  their 
adventures,  continuing  them  over  the 
steaming  dish  of  stew.  When  he  reached 
the  point  which  dealt  with  the  outwitting 
of  the  bear,  Don  Emilio  sprang  from  his 
hammock. 

"A  bear  trapped?"  he  cried.  "A 
grizzly  ?  We  will  have  a  fight  with  a  bull. 
You  are  rested,  no  ?  As  soon  as  you  have 
eaten,  come  and  show  us  the  way." 

The  boys,  always  ready  for  sport,  and 
believing  that  they  were  beyond  the  grasp 
of  the  law  for  the  present,  eagerly  con 
sented.  An  hour  later  Don  Emilio,  Don 


The  Valiant  Runaways    21 

Jorge,  the  four  lads,  and  three  vaqueros 
all  sallied  forth  to  capture  one  poor 
bear.  The  vaqueros  dragged  a  sled,  and 
much  stout  rope. 

When  they  reached  the  trap  darkness 
had  come,  but  the  four  boys  held  lighted 
torches  over  the  hole  —  this  was  their 
part.  The  bear,  disheartened  with  his  long 
and  futile  effort  to  escape,  lay  on  the 
uneven  surface  below,  alternately  growling 
and  roaring.  As  the  torches  flared  above 
him  he  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  vast  roar, 
his  eyes  as  green  and  glittering  as  marsh 
lights.  In  a  moment  a  lasso  had  flown 
over  his  head  and  he  was  on  his  back. 
But  his  formidable  legs  were  not  to  be 
encountered  rashly.  Each  was  lassooed 
in  turn,  also  his  back;  then  his  huge 
lunging  body  was  dragged  up  the  side 
of  the  excavation  and  onto  the  sled. 
There  he  was  bound  securely  ;  then  the 
rope  about  his  neck  was  loosened  and 
he  was  fed  on  a  hind  quarter  of  sheep. 
But  it  placated  him  little.  His  anger 
was  terrific.  He  roared  until  the  echoes 
awoke,  and  strained  at  the  rope  unlil  it 


22     The  Valiant  Runaways 

seemed  as  if  his  great  muscles  must 
conquer. 

But  he  was  powerless,  and  the  proces 
sion  started:  first  Roklan  and  Benito 
with  their  torches;  then  two  vaqueros 
dragging  the  sled,  the  third  holding  the 
rope  which  encircled  the  bear's  neck, 
ready  to  tighten  it  on  a  second's  notice. 
Following  were  Don  Jorge  and  Don 
Kmilio,  then  the  two  other  young  torch 
bearer-.  Thus  was  poor  Bruin  carried 
ignominiously  out  of  the  forest  where  he 
had  been  lord,  to  perform  for  the  benefit 
of  the  kind  he  despised.  That  night  he 
rested  alone  in  a  high  walled  corral, 
liberated  by  the  quick  knife  of  one  of  the 
vaqueros,  who  sprang  through  the  door 
just  in  time  to  save  himself. 

There  was  an  angry  guest  on  the  ranch 
that  night.  The  bear's  lungs,  which  were 
of  the  best,  had  little  repose,  and  he  flung 
himself  against  the  earth  walls  of  the  corral 
until  they  quivered  with  the  impact.  The 
horses  in  the  neighbouring  corrals  whin 
nied ;  the  cows  in  the  fields  bellowed.  It 
was  a  vocal  night,  and  few  slept. 


The  Valiant  Runaways    23 

Nevertheless  everybody  was  excited  and 
good-natured  next  morning.  Immediately 
after  breakfast  they  went  out  to  the  corral, 
and  by  means  of  a  ladder  mounted  the 
wall  and  stood  on  the  broad  summit.  At 
a  signal  from  Don  Emilio  a  vaquero 
opened  the  gate  cautiously  and  drove  in 
a  large  bull,  who  had  been  carefully  irri 
tated  since  sunrise. 

The  two  unamiable  beasts,  glad  of  an 
object  to  vent  their  spleen  upon,  flew  at 
each  other.  The  bear,  giant  as  he  was, 
was  ignominiously  rolled  in  the  dust  by 
the  furious  onslaught  of  bulk  and  horns. 
He  recovered  himself  with  surprising  alac 
rity,  however,  and  rushed  at  the  bull.  The 
latter,  off  guard  for  the  moment,  and  strug 
gling  for  his  lost  breath,  was  hurled  on  his 
back.  He  rolled  over  quickly,  but  before 
he  could  gather  his  legs  under  him,  the 
bear  sat  himself  squarely  upon  the  heavy 
flanks.  The  bull  jerked  up  his  head,  his 
eyes  injected,  his  tongue  rolling  out.  The 
bear  raised  one  of  his  mighty  paws  and 
dealt  him  a  box  on  the  ear.  The  head 
fell  with  an  ugly  thud  on  the  hard  floor 


24     The  Valiant  Runaways 

of  the  corral.  The  bear  adjusted  himself 
comfortably  and  licked  his  paws. 

On  the  wall  the  onlookers  were  far 
more  excited  than  the  gladiators  in  the 
arena.  The  Perez  sympathised  with  their 
personal  property,  but  Roldan  and  Adan 
felt  that  the  bear  was  their  menagerie,  and 
that  their  honour  was  at  stake.  Party 
feeling  ran  very  high.  Roldan  and  Benito 
were  twice  separated  by  their  anxious 
elders. 

"Ay!  yi!"  cried  Carlos.  "The  bull 
wakes." 

The  poor  bull,  in  truth,  despite  the 
crushing  weight  on  his  vitals,  raised  his 
head  again,  shook  himself  feebly,  and  was 
once  more  boxed  into  unconsciousness. 
The  side  of  his  face  was  crushed ;  his 
body  was  slowly  flattening.  The  family 
encouraged  him  with  tears  and  spirit. 

"  Ay,  Ignacio,  Ignacio,  my  poor  one  !  M 
cried  Don  Jose.  "  Arouse  thyself  and 
kill  the  brute.  Ay  !  thou  wert  so  beautiful, 
so  elegant,  thy  sleek  sides  like  the  satin  of 
Dona  Theresa  —  and  he  like  a  wild  man 
that  has  never  washed.  Where  is  thy 
pride,  Ignacio?  .Arouse  thyself!" 


The  Valiant  Runaways     25 

Thus  encouraged,  the  bull  raised  his 
head  once  more.  The  bear  gave  him  a 
whack  that  snapped  his  spinal  cord,  then 
rose  and  swung  himself  round  the  enclos 
ure  with  the  arrogant  mien  of  a  bloated 
sultan  who  has  swept  off  a  troublesome 
head.  This  attitude  aroused  Benito  to 
fury. 

"  Ay,  the  cheat !  the  assassin  !  "  he  cried. 
"  It  was  not  a  fair  fight.  Our  Ignacio  had 
no  chance  —  " 

"  That  is  not  true  !  "  exclaimed  Roldan. 
"  He  had  the  same  chance  at  the  first.  If 
you  are  not  satisfied,  Senorito  Benito,  then 
fight  me." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  The  boys, 
who  stood  some  distance  from  the  others, 
doubled  their  fists  and  rushed  at  each 
other  like  two  fighting  cocks.  They  pom 
melled  for  several  minutes,  then  locked 
their  arms  about  each  other  and  went 
reeling  about  the  wall,  to  the  horror  of  the 
others,  who  dared  not  approach  lest  they 
should  inflame  them  further. 

"  Jump  down !  Jump  down,  you  im 
beciles  !  "  cried  Don  Jose.  "  Do  you  wish 


26     The  Valiant  Runaways 

to  be  food  for  the  bear  ?  A  misstep  —  " 
The  words  ended  in  a  hoarse  gurgle. 
Dona  Theresa  shrieked.  Adan  and  Car 
los  sobbed.  The  young  men  turned  cold 
and  weak.  The  two  boys  had  fallen  head 
long  into  the  corral. 

They  were  sobered  and  fraternal  in  a 
moment.  The  bear  stood  upon  his  hind 
legs  and  opened  his  arms  invitingly.  He 
stood  in  front  of  the  gate. 

44  Ay!  ay!"  gasped  Benito.  "He  wili 
eat  us!" 

44  No ;  he  will  eat  the  bull  first ;  but  he 
will  hug  us  to  death  —  that  is,  if  he  gets 
us  —  which  he  won't.  Adan!"  he  cried, 
"  lower  the  ladder." 

Benito  began  to  cry,  his  terror  enhanced 
by  the  babel  of  voices  on  the  wall,  each  of 
which  was  suggesting  a  different  measure. 
On  the  opposite  wall  and  in  the  branches 
of  a  neighbouring  tree  were  the  Indian 
servants  and  "the  vaqueros.  They  stared 
stupidly,  with  shaking  lips. 

Adan  had  recovered  his  presence  of 
mind.  With  a  firm  hand,  he  lowered  the 
ladder.  But  his  wit  was  not  quick.  He 


The  Valiant  Runaways    27 

should  have  carried  it  along  the  wall  and 
placed  it  behind  the  boys.  Instead,  it  de 
scended  several  yards  away.  The  bear, 
who  appeared  to  be  no  fool,  lowered  his 
forepaws  and  trotted  slowly  toward  the 
boys. 

"Juan  !  "  shouted  Roldan  to  a  vaquero. 
"  Lasso  the  bull  and  drag  him  to  the  west 
side  —  far  from  the  gate." 

The  vaquero,  alert  enough  under  orders, 
swung  the  lasso  with  supple  wrist  —  and 
missed.  The  boys  dodged  the  bear,  who 
seemed  in  no  haste,  but  stalked  them 
methodically,  nevertheless.  The  vaquero 
swung  again.  This  time  the  rope  caught 
the  horns,  was  tightened  by  a  quick  turn, 
and  the  carcass  went  thudding  across  the 
yard.  The  bear  gave  a  furious  howl  and 
plunged  after.  The  boys  scampered  up  the 
ladder.  Don  Jose  took  each  by  the  collar 
and  shook  them  soundly.  When  they 
were  released  they  embraced  each  other. 

"Ay!  but  I  was  inhospitable  to  fight 
my  guest,"  sobbed  Benito. 

"  Ay,  my  friend,"  said  Roldan,  with  dig 
nity,  winking  back  the  tears  started  by  va- 


28     The  Valiant  Runaways 

rious  emotions.  "  It  is  I  who  should  have 
had  my  ears  boxed  by  the  bear  for  insult 
ing  my  host,  and  bringing  anguish  to  the 
house  of  Perez."  Then  he  embraced  Adan, 
but  this  time  mutely. 

Doila  Theresa  had  been  carried  to  her 
room,  where  she  lay  prcstrated  with  a  ner 
vous  headache;  but  her  family  and  guests 
did  ample  justice  to  the  chickens  stewed 
in  tomatoes,  the  red  peppers  and  onions, 
the  fried  rice,  tomales,  and  dulces  which 
her  cook  had  prepared  in  honour  of  the 
event.  Excitement  and  good  will  reigned  ; 
even  Don  Jose  had  forgiven  the  young 
offenders,  and  they  all  talked  at  once,  at 
the  top  of  their  voices,  as  fast  as  they  could 
rattle  and  with  no  falling  inflection.  Rol- 
dan  and  Adan  were  pressed  to  remain  at 
the  Hacienda  Perez  until  the  search  was 
over,  and  although  the  former  had  a  secret 
yearning  for  adventure  he  was  more  than 
half  inclined  to  consent. 

After  a  brief  siesta  the  entire  male  pop 
ulation  of  the  hacienda  retired  to  the  wall 
of  the  corral  to  pot  the  bear.  It  was 
agreed  that  each  should  fire  at  once,  and 


The  Valiant  Runaways    29 

that  he  who  missed  should  have  no  dulces 
for  a  week. 

The  bear  was  sitting  near  the  middle  of 
the  corral,  surly  but  replete,  for  he  had 
eaten  of  the  bull.  Don  Jose  gave  the 
signal.  Twenty-two  shots  were  fired. 
The  bear  gave  a  roar  which  awoke  the 
echoes  of  the  forest,  lunged  frantically  on 
shattered  legs,  then  fell,  an  ugly  heap  of 
dusty  grey  hair. 

As  the  smoke  cleared  and  Don  Jose 
was  announcing  that  only  two  Indian  ser 
vants  had  missed,  Benito  clutched  Roldan's 
arm  suddenly. 

"  Look  up,"  he  said.  "  Do  you  see  any 
thing?  Are  not  those  men  ;  soldiers  ?  " 

Roldan  looked  up  to  a  ledge  of  the 
high  mountain  before  the  house.  A  bend 
of  the  trail  traversed  a  clearing.  In  this 
open  were  three  men  on  horseback,  mo 
tionless  for  the  moment. 

"  Adan  !  "  shouted  Roldan.  He  ran> 
down  the  ladder. 

"  I  cannot  be  sure  that  those  are  the  sol 
diers,"  he  called  up  to  Don  Jose.  "  But  I 
take  no  risks.  We  must  go." 


30     The  Valiant  Runaways 

The  others  descended  hastily.  "  My 
sons  will  have  to  hide  too,"  said  Don  Jose. 
"  There  is  plenty  of  time.  In  a  moment 
those  men  will  be  in  the  forest  again  and 
can  see  nothing  more  for  half  an  hour. 
\\  e  must  do  nothing  while  they  watch  — 
there  !  they  have  gone." 

He  shouted  to  the  vaqueros  to  saddle 
six  fresh  horses,  and  ordered  the  house 
servants  to  pack  the  bags  with  food. 

"  There  is  a  cave  in  the  mountain  on  the 
other  side  which  I  defy  anyone  to  find," 
said  Don  Jose.  "  If  there  were  a  war  my 
sons  should  fight,  but  I  need  them  now." 

While  the  horses  were  saddling,  Roldan 
and  Adan  consulted  together.  At  the  end 
of  a  few  moments  the  former  went  up  to 
Don  Jose. 

"  I  think  it  would  be  wiser  to  separate," 
he  said.  "  Adan  and  I  will  go  one  way, 
your  sons  another.  That  will  put  them 
off  the  track ;  and  the  cave,  Carlos  says, 
i-  not  very  large." 

"As  you  like,"  said  Don  Jose,  who  was 
perturbed  and  busy.  "  A  vaquero  will  go 
with  you  for  a  distance  and  advise  you." 


The  Valiant  Runaways    3  i 

The  truth  was,  Roldan  fancied  lying 
inert  in  a  cave  for  several  days  as  little  as 
he  fancied  the  somnolent  life  of  a  barrack, 
and  Adan,  who  had  a  secret  preference  for 
the  cave,  was  too  loyal  to  oppose  him. 

In  ten  minutes  the  horses  were  ready, 
affectionate  good-byes  said,  and  Roldan 
and  Adan,  followed  by  many  good  wishes, 
and  prayers  to  return,  started  southeast 
ward  through  a  dense  canon. 


IV 


THE  vaquero  guided  the  boys  rapidly 
through  the  cafion.  The  almost 
perpendicular  walls,  black  with  a  dense 
growth  of  brush  and  scrub  trees,  towered 
so  high  above  them-  that  the  atmosphere 
was  damp  and  the  long  strip  of  sky  was 
like  a  pale-blue  banner.  The  trail  was 
well  worn,  and  there  was  nothing  to  im 
pede  their  progress.  The  mustangs  re 
sponded  to  the  lifted  bridle  and  ran  at 
breakneck  speed.  They  emerged  at  the 
end  of  half  an  hour.  It  was  an  abrupt 
sally,  and  the  great  level  plain  before  them 
seemed  a  blaze  of  sunlight. 

" Bueno"  said  the  vaquero,  halting. 
*'  Ride  straight  ahead.  Keep  to  the  trail. 
At  night  you  will  come  to  a  river.  Before 
you  reach  it  all  trace  of  you  will  be  lost, 
because  between  now  and  there  are  many 
side  trails,  and  as  the  ground  is  so  hard 
they  cannot  tell  which  you  take.  Cross  the 


The  Valiant  Runaways     33; 

river  and  take  the  trail  to  the  left.  That 
will  bring  you  to  the  Mission  —  about 
twenty  miles  farther  —  where  the  good 
padres  will  let  you  rest  and  give  you  fresh 
horses.  The  senor,  meanwhile,  will  throw 
the  officers  off  the  scent.  But  if  you  are 
wise,  you  will  make  for  the  Sierras  and  hide 
there.  Adios,  senor,  adios,  senor; "and  he 
wheeled  about  and  disappeared  into  the 
darkness  of  the  canon. 

"  We  are  like  the  babes  in  the  wood," 
said  Adan.  "  I  feel  as  if  we  never  should 
find  our  way  home  again." 

"We  shall,"  said  Roldan,  stoutly;  al 
though  he,  too,  felt  the  chill  of  the  im 
mense  solitude.  "  And  we  have  begun 
well !  What  an  adventure  to  start  with  I 
I  am  sure  we  shall  have  more." 

Adan  crossed  himself. 

The  boys  rode  at  a  long  even  gallop,  the 
high  chaparral  closing  behind  them. 
Every  half  hour  they  paused,  and  Roldan, 
dismounting,  held  his  ear  to  the  ground. 
But  as  yet  they  were  unpursued. 

A  soft  wind  blew  over  the  plain,  fra 
grant  with  the  honeydew  of  the  chaparral. 


34     The  Valiant  Runaways 

The  sun  set  in  a  great  bank  of  yellow 
cloud.  Then  the  night  came  suddenly. 

A  few  moments  later  Roldan  called: 
"  Halt !  "  and  held  up  his  hand.  "  I  hear 
the  rush  of  the  water,"  he  said.  "  We  must 
be  near  the  river." 

"  It  sounds  as  if  it  was  high,"  said  Adan. 
44  It  has  rained  hard  this  month.  Suppose 
these  horses  don't  swim  ?  " 

"  We  '11  make  them.     Come  on." 

"  Ay !  yi !  "  exclaimed  Adan,  not  many 
moments  after. 

They  pulled  up  suddenly  on  the  banks 
of  the  river,  a  body  of  water  about  three 
hundred  yards  wide.  It  was  swollen  almost 
level  with  the  high  banks.  The  tumul 
tuous  waters  were  racing  as  if  Neptune 
astride  them  was  fleeing  from  angry  gods. 
There  is  something  unhuman  in  the 
roar  of  an  angry  river :  it  has  a  knell 
in  it. 

Roldan  and  Adan  looked  at  each  other. 
The  latter's  face  had  paled.  Roldan  con 
tracted  his  lids  suddenly,  and  when  his 
friend  met  the  glance  that  grew  between 
them  he  compressed  his  lips  and  involun- 


The  Valiant  Runaways     35 

tarily  straightened  himself:  he  knew  its 
significance. 

"  We  must  cross,"  said  Roldan.  "  It 
would  never  do  to  spend  the  night  on  this 
side.  If  they  followed,  they  would  never 
suspect  us  of  crossing.  If  we  remained 
here,  we  could  not  hear  them  until  they 
were  upon  us." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Adan. 

Roldan  raised  his  bridle.  The  mustang; 
did  not  move  forward,  but  cowered.  "  I 
don't  like  to  hurt  horses,"  said  the  young 
don,  "  but  he  's  got  to  go."  He  clapped 
his  spurs  savagely  against  the  animal's, 
sides,  and  the  next  moment  the  waves  were 
lashing  about  him. 

Adan  was  beside  him  at  once,  and 
together  they  breasted  the  rushing  waters. 
The  mustangs  were  strong  and  made  fair 
headway,  incited  by  terror  and  the  spur. 
The  water  was  very  cold,  but  the  boys 
scarcely  felt  it.  Their  eyes  were  strained 
.toward  the  opposite  shore,  measuring  the 
distance,  which  seemed  to  grow  less  very 
slowly.  The  stars  were  thick  and  the 
moon  was  floating  just  above  the  chapar- 


3 6     The  Valiant  Runaways 

ral,  but  the  darkness  about  them  was  grim, 
and  only  a  narrow  line  of  white  indicated 
the  shore. 

The  horses  were  not  able  to  keep  a 
straight  course.  The  current  lashed 
them  about  more  than  once,  but  they 
righted,  shook  the  water  from  their 
quivering  nostrils,  and  plunged  on. 

The  boys'  glance  so  persistently  sought 
their  haven  that  they  saw  nothing  of  what 
was  passing  about  them.  They  were 
within  twenty  yards  of  the  shore.  Adan, 
having  the  stronger  beast,  was  some  little 
distance  ahead.  He  did  not  observe  it. 
He  was  registering  a  vow  that  if  he 
reached  land  in  safety  he  would  be  drafted 
every  year  of  his  life  before  he  would  ford 
another  river  after  heavy  rain. 

Suddenly  Roldan  became  conscious 
that  the  wiry  little  body  between  his 
gripping  knees  had  relaxed  somewhat  the 
tension  of  its  muscles.  Was  the  poor 
brute  collapsing?  Roldan  leaned  over 
and  patted  his  neck.  It  responded  for  a 
moment,  then  fell  back  again.  Roldan 
•set  his  lips.  As  he  did  so  he  cast  about 


The  Valiant  Runaways     37 

him  the  instinctive  glance  of  those  in 
peril.  A  huge  log  was  bearing  down 
upon  him  like  a  projectile. 

In  a  second  his  feet  were  out  of  his  stir 
rups  and  he  was  crouching  on  the  mus 
tang's  back.  The  losf  struck  the  beast 

o  o 

full  in  the  side,  tossing  Roldan  as  if  he  had 
been  a  feather.  The  mustang  gave  a 
hoarse  neigh,  unheard  above  the  roar  of 
the  water. 

Roldan,  keeping  his  face  from  the 
pounding  waves  as  best  he  could,  struck 
out  for  the  bank.  But  the  current  was 
too  much  for  his  slender  body,  plucky  as 
it  was.  He  made  a  mighty  effort  and 
shouted,  — 

"Adan!" 

The  high  clear  note  pierced  to  his  com 
panion's  ear.  Adan  turned  his  head, 
uttered  a  cry,  and  pulled  his  unwilling 
mustang  about.  But  the  current  was 
carrying  the  white  face  on  the  waves 
rapidly  past. 

"Lariat!"  Roldan  managed  to  scream. 

Adan's  faculties  had  been  paralysed  for 
the  moment,  but  they  responded  almost 


38     The  Valiant  Runaways 

automatically  to  that  imperious  will.  He 
unwound  the  lariat  rapidly  from  the  pom 
mel,  hastily  gathered  the  loops,  then  flung 
it  with  sure  hand  straight  at  his  friend. 
It  fell  about  Roldan's  neck.  The  boy 
jerked  it  over  his  shoulders,  then  signed 
to  A  dan  to  proceed. 

A  clan  once  more  urged  his  horse  for 
ward,  not  daring  to  look  behind.  Roldan 
made  no  attempt  to  swim;  he  merely 
used  his  arms  to  keep  his  head  above 
water.  There  were  but  a  few  yards  farther. 
The  mustang,  despite  his  double  load, 
made  them,  and  scrambled  up  the  bank. 
Adan,  realising  for  the  first  time  that 
he  was  stiff  with  cold,  scrambled  off  and 
pulled  in  the  rope  with  hands  that  were 
aching  and  almost  numb.  He  heard 
Roldan  strike  the  bank,  a  moment  later 
the  snapping  of  brush.  Roldan's  head 
rose  into  view,  Adan  gave  a  last  despair 
ing  tug,  and  a  moment  later  the  two  boys 
lay  on  their  backs,  panting  for  breath. 


"  T"\O  you  want  any  more  adventures?" 
JL/  asked  Adan  feebly,  after  a  time. 

"  Not  at  present,"  said  Roldan. 

He  raised  himself  stiffly.  "Come,"  he 
said,  "  this  will  never  do.  We  shall  both 
have  rheumatism.  We  must  have  a  fire 
at  once." 

Adan  groaned  pathetically,  but  got  on 
his  feet.  They  had  found  refuge  in  the 
open ;  but  a  grove  of  trees  was  near,  and 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  had  piled  a 
heap  of  branches  and  chaparral  as  high  as 
an  Indian  pyre,  hunted  up  two  pieces  of 
flint,  and  sent  sparks  flying  through  the 
dry  mass. 

The  boys  divested  themselves  of  their 
dripping  clothes  and  hung  them  close  to 
the  fire,  then  raced  up  and  down  with 
what  energy  was  left  in  them  to  scotch 
the  chill  night  air.  Finally  they  paused 


4<D     The  Valiant  Runaways 

breathless  before  the  pile,  which  was  now 
roaring  merrily. 

44  I  should  like  to  know  what  we  are 
to  have  for  supper,"  said  Roldan.  u  That 
Mission  is  twenty  miles  away,  and  I  for 
one  can't  walk  to  it.  Climb  up  a  tree 
and  see  if  there  is  a  light  anywhere." 

44  Thanks,  senor,"  said  Adan,  "  when  my 
clothes  are  dry." 

44  True,  we  must  keep  our  skin.  I  have 
it !  "  He  sprang  on  the  back  of  the  mus 
tang,  who  also  had  fallen  upon  reach 
ing  the  shore  but  had  risen  to  nibble  for 
supper,  and  stood  on  the  tips  of  his  feet 
44  I  can  see  well,"  he  announced.  "  But  all 
the  same  I  can  see  nothing.  We  must 
stay  here." 

He  dismounted,  and  relieving  the  mus 
tang  of  the  heavy  saddle,  emptied  the  bags. 
44  The  bread  and  sweets  are  soaked,"  he 
said,  44  not  fit  for  a  pig  to  eat ;  but  we  can 
do  something  with  the  meat.  Fetch  some 
coals/* 

Adan  with  infinite  difficulty  managed  to 
scrape  a  few  < -o:\1s  apart  from  the  bonfire, 
and  over  this  they  scorched  the  meat.  As 


The  Valiant  Runaways    41 

they  crouched  on  the  ground  they  looked 
like  two  little  white  savages,  and  they  were 
neither  comfortable  nor  happy. 

"  We  must  keep  this  fire  going  all  night," 
said  Roldan,  "  or  we  shall  be  eaten  by  bears, 
to  say  nothing  of  rattlesnakes  —  " 

"  Hist !  "  whispered  Adan.  "  I  hear  one." 
Both  boys  sprang  to  their  feet. 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  Near  the  horse." 

Roldan  seized  his  pistol  and  ran  in  the 
direction  indicated,  keeping  his  eyes  on 
the  ground.  Suddenly  he  paused.  Some 
thing  just  beyond  the  light  was  growing 
into  a  series  of  graceful  loops.  A  long 
neck  slowly  lifted  itself  and  two  baleful 
eyes  fixed  upon  Roldan.  He  raised  his 
pistol,  and  the  rattler  was  beheaded  as 
neatly  as  if  it  were  stuffed  and  dismem 
bered  with  a  pen  knife.  It  shot  out  to  full 
length,  and  the  clever  marksman  took  it  by 
its  horny  tail  and  dragged  it  to  the  fire. 

"  He  did  n't  know  that  we  'd  have  him 
for  supper,"  said  Adan,  gleefully.  "  Here, 
let  us  eat  our  steak  and  then  I  '11  skin 
him." 


42     The  Valiant  Runaways 

The  steak  proved  tough,  and  when  it 
had  been  disposed  of  with  many  grum 
blings,  the  rattlesnake  was  skinned  and 
roasted,  and  proved  very  delicate  and 
edible. 

"  Now,"  said  Rolclan,  "  we  must  sleep." 

Their  clothes  being  dry  they  dressed  ; 
and  after  inspecting  with  a  torch  a  circle 
of  about  two  hundred  yards  to  see  that 
there  were  no  snake  holes,  they  built  a  hasty 
ring  of  chaparral,  set  fire  to  it  that  beasts 
and  reptiles  should  keep  their  distance, 
then  lay  down  and  slept.  Roldan  was  al 
ways  a  light  sleeper,  and  with  the  fire  on 
his  mind  awoke  every  few  hours  and 
gathered  fresh  chaparral  or  roused  the 
heavier  Adan.  Coyotes  wailed  in  the  dis 
tance,  and  once  as  Roldan  gathered  brush 
he  heard  again  the  deadly  rattle.  But 
they  were  not  disturbed,  and  even  the 
skies  were  kind,  for  although  clouds  gath 
ered,  they  passed. 

They  awoke  in  the  morning,  fresh  and 
vigorous  —  but  also  hungry  ;  and  there 
was  little  to  eat. 

*'  I    don't  think    I   should    fancy  rattle- 


The  Valiant  Runaways    43 

snake  for  breakfast,*'  said  Roldan,  and 
Adan  shuddered  at  the  mere  thought. 
They  cooked  a  small  piece  of  meat,  all 
that  was  left  of  their  store,  and  it  but 
whetted  their  appetite. 

"  There 's  only  one  thing  to  do,"  said 
Roldan,  "  and  that  is  to  get  to  the  Mission 
as  quickly  as  possible.  Chocolate !  Beans  ! 
possibly  chicken  !  Think  of  it.  Come  ! 
Come!" 

Adan  scrambled  to  his  feet  and  saddled 
the  mustang.  It  was  agreed  that  they 
should  ride  him  by  turns,  the  other 
running  at  a  brisk  trot. 

The  sun  was  barely  up  \vhen  they 
started.  A  light  mist  lay  on  the  turbu 
lent  waters  and  puffed  among  the  sweet- 
scented  chaparral.  Roldan  rode  during  the 
first  hour,  Adan  running  ahead,  his  glance 
darting  from  right  to  left,  but  encounter 
ing  eyes  neither  malignant  nor  savage. 
Shortly  after  he  mounted  the  horse  the 
mist  lifted  and  rolled  back  to  the  ocean. 
They  had  left  the  chaparral  some  time 
before  and  now  discovered  that  they  were 
in  an  open  plain.  In  the  distance  were 


44    The  Valiant  Runaways 

high  hills  over  which  wound  a  white  trail. 
Between  these  hills  and  the  travellers 
was  a  moving  mass  of  something.  Adan 
reined  in  suddenly. 

44  Roldan,"  he  said,  "  are  those  horses  ? 
You  have  the  longer  sight." 

Roldan  made  a  funnel  of  his  hand. 
"  Surely,  surely  !  "  he  cried.  "  What  luck  ! 
I  hate  walking.  They  are  probably  wild, 
but  I  never  saw  the  mustang  I  could  not 
lasso." 

44  Yes,  you  can  do  the  lassoing,"  said 
Adan,  grimly.  44  My  thumb  nearly  went 
off  last  night,  and  is  twice  its  size." 

"  Adan,"  said  his  friend,  laying  his  hand 
on  his  comrade's  knee.  "  I  have  n't 
thanked  you.  I  have  n't  mentioned  it ;  but 
it  is  because  —  well  —  I  lay  awake  an  hour 
last  night  trying  to  think  of  something  to 
say  —  and  —  and  —  thinking  that  I  loved 
you  better  than  my  own  brothers —  " 

"  That  will  do,  then,"  said  Adan,  gruffly. 
14  We  '11  be  kissing  each  other  in  a  minute 
as  we  did  at  the  Hacienda  Perez ;  and  I 
think  that  we  are  getting  too  big  for  that. 
I  hear  that  American  boys  never  kiss  each 
other." 


The  Valiant  Runaways    45 

"Don't  they?  "asked  Roldan,  pricking 
up  his  ears.  "  How  I  should  like  to  know- 
some  American  boys.  They  must  know 
so  many  things  that  we  do  not.  Who 
told  you?" 

"  Antonio  Scarpia  has  been  in  America, 
you  know  —  in  Boston.  He  came  back 
last  month  and  rode  over  a  few  days  ago 
for  the  night.  I  asked  him  many  ques 
tions.  He  says  they  never  show  any 
feeling  except  when  they  get  mad,  and 
that  they  walk  and  row  and  play  ball  — 
with  the  feet,  caramba  !  —  and  run  about 
in  the  snow.  He  says  they  would  think 
we  were  like  girls  with  our  fine  clothes 
and  our  hammocks  —  " 

"Girls!"  cried  Roldan,  indignantly. 
"  I  'd  like  to  see  American  or  any  other 
boys  do  better  with  that  bear  than  we  did, 
or  lasso  a  friend  in  the  midst  of  a  boiling 
river  as  you  did.  And  if  they  come  here 
to  laugh  at  us  they  '11  find  one  pair  of  fists 
that  are  not  soft  if  they  do  have  lace 
ruffles  over  them.  And  I  'd  like  to  see 
them  live  all  day  on  a  horse  as  we  do/' 

"  True,  true,  you  are  always  right,"  said 


The  Valiant  Runaways 

Adan,    soothingly.      u  Ay,    I    think    those 
horses  are  coming  this  way.     Better  get 

n 

up. 

He  moved  back  onto  the  aquera  and 
Roldan  sprang  to  his  place  and  unwound 
the  lariat.  Like  all  of  its  kind,  it  was  a 
slender  woven  cord  about  eighteen  feet  in 
length  and  made  of  tough  strips  of  un- 
tanned  hide.  It  was  an  admirable  weapon 
in  skilled  hands,  but  not  to  be  trifled  with  by 
the  amateur.  Many  a  careless  Californian 
had  lost  a  finger  or  thumb,  and  more  than 
one  had  owed  it  lockjaw. 

The  wild  horses  advanced  rapidly  for  a 
time,  but  when  they  saw  that  the  brother 
to  which  curiosity  had  attracted  them  was 
apparently  of  an  eccentric  build  they  sud 
denly  paused  and  scattered.  Roldan 
raised  the  bridle  and  dashed  in  pursuit; 
but  the  others  were  unincumbered,  fleet  of 
foot  and  terrified.  They  fled  like  the 
wind. 

"Drop  off!"  commanded  Roldan,  rein 
ing  in.  "Quick!  I  will  have  one." 

Adan  slid  to  the  ground  and  the  mus 
tang  sprang  lightly  forward.  Roldan  had 


The  Valiant  Runaways     47 

singled  out  a  well-built  black,  a  little 
heavier  than  his  mates  and  consequently 
somewhat  in  their  rear.  The  mustang, 
who  had  slept  off  his  fatigue,  had  no  need 
of  spur;  he  seemed  to  enter  into  the  spirit 
of  the  chase  —  possibly  realised  that  if  the 
chase  failed  he  might  have  a  double  load 
to  carry.  He  dashed  over  the  rough  adobe 
plain,  Roldan  holding  the  bridle  high  in 
his  left  hand,  the  coiled  lasso  in  his  right. 
Adan  waddled  after,  far  in  the  rear. 
The  other  horses  had  fled  to  the  four 
winds,  but  the  pursued,  occasionally  duck 
ing  his  head  and  kicking  up  his  hind  legs 
as  if  in  contempt  of  the  pretensions  of 
mere  man,  made  straight  for  the  hills. 
Being  undisciplined,  however,  he  got  over 
the  ground  clumsily,  stumbled  once  or 
twice  in  the  wide  cracks  of  the  adobe  soil, 
and  finally  stopped  short  for  want  of  wind. 
He  swung  about  and  glared  defiantly  at 
his  pursuers  out  of  injected  eyes.  He  had 
never  seen  a  lasso  before,  possibly  not  a 
man ;  but  his  instinct  told  him  that  the 
horse  and  rider  behind  him  were  not  rov 
ing  the  plain  in  his  own  aimless  fashion. 


48     The  Valiant  Runaways 

He  stood  pawing  the  ground  and  shaking 
his  great  red  nostrils.  Suddenly  to  his 
surprise  the  part  of  the  horse  new  to  him 
lifted  itself,  and  a  black  coiling  something, 
graceful  and  swift  as  a  rattlesnake,  sprang 
through  the  air  with  a  sharp  audible  rush. 
A  quarter  of  a  moment  later  he  neighed 
with  rage  and  terror:  his  neck  was  in  a 
vice. 

He  gave  a  leap  that  nearly  dragged 
Roldan  from  his  saddle  ;  but  that  expert 
young  gentleman  had  secured  the  lariat  to 
the  high  pommel  of  his  saddle  in  a  trice, 
and  Don  Jose  Perez's  mustang  had  there 
after  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  strain. 

The  wild  animal  pulled  and  tugged  and 
tore  up  the  ground  ;  but  finding  that  he 
but  increased  his  own  discomfort,  he  grad 
ually  subsided,  and  when  Roldan  finally 
turned  about  and  rode  slowly  toward  Adan 
he  followed  meekly  enough. 

When  Adan  saw  the  procession  start  in 
his  direction  he  sat  down  on  a  stone  to 
rest,  and  when  it  reached  him  he  obeyed 
orders  and  sprang  on  the  mustang's  back 
as  Roldan  slipped  off 


The  Valiant  Runaways     49 

"  That  was  well  done,  my  friend,"  he 
said  approvingly.  "  I  could  see  it  all ;  but 
I  thought  my  eyes  would  fly  out  of  my 
head." 

Roldan  walked  cautiously  up  to  his  prize 
and  attempted  to  pat  it  gently  on  the  head. 
But  it  was  some  moments  before  he  was 
able  to  touch  the  beast,  who  was  sulky, 
cross,  and  frightened.  When  he  did  he 
swiftly  loosened  the  lariat,  and  this  pro 
cured  him  a  meed  of  favour.  The  horse 
then  allowed  himself  to  be  patted  all  down 
the  side  and  back,  nor  once  raised  his 
hoof. 

Suddenly  Roldan  sprang  to  his  back, 
gripping  the  mane  with  his  hands,  the 
flanks  with  his  knees.  But  this  was  one 
liberty  too  much.  The  horse  stood  on  his 
hind  legs,  made  as  if  to  go  over  backward, 
then  suddenly  stiffened  all  four  legs  and 
sprang  up  and  down  as  automatically  as  if 
worked  by  a  spring.  Roldan  was  now  in 
his  element.  He  had  broken  in  more  than 
one  bucking  horse.  He  remained  as  im 
movable  as  a  fly  on  the  top  of  a  coach,  only 
giving  an  occasional  prick  with  his  spur  to 


50     The  Valiant  Runaways 

madden  the  animal  and  wear  him  out  the 
sooner. 

Roldan  had  cast  the  lariat  from  the 
animal's  neck  as  soon  as  he  mounted,  and 
it  was  well  that  he  had,  for  his  quarry 
made  a  sudden  dash  and  did  not  stop  for 
half  a  mile,  —  when  he  paused  on  his  fore 
feet,  waving  his  hind  in  the  air. 

But  still  Roldan  kept  his  seat,  Adan 
shouting :  "  Bravo  !  Bravo !  "  by  way  of 
encouragement. 

The  battle  lasted  nearly  an  hour ;  then 
the  mustang  confessed  himself  conquered, 
and  the  boys  sought  out  the  trail,  from 
which  they  had  wandered  far,  and  contin 
ued  their  journey. 

"  Caramba !  "  exclaimed  Roldan,  "  but  I 
am  famished,  not  to  say  tired.  If  it  had 
been  ten  miles  instead  of  twenty,  it  would 
not  have  been  worth  while." 


VI 


THEY  rode  on  rapidly,  too  hungry  to 
talk.  The  ground  began  to  rise, 
and  they  advanced  through  hills  sprout 
ing  with  the  early  green  of  winter.  Once 
they  paused,  and  tethering  the  horses 
where  they  could  feed,  shot  several  quail 
and  roasted  them.  But  the  pangs  of 
hunger  were  by  no  means  allayed,  and 
when,  in  the  early  afternoon,  they  saw 
the  white  walls  of  the  Mission  below  them,, 
they  gave  a  shout  of  joy. 

The  Mission  stood  in  the  middle  of  a 
valley,  well  away  from  woods  and  hills, 
and  surrounded  by  a  large  vineyard  and 
orchard.  On  the  long  corridor  traversing 
the  building  adjoining  the  church,  several 
figures  in  habit  and  cowl  walked  slowly 
behind  the  arches.  Indians  were  in  the 
vineyards  and  orchards  and  moving  about 
the  rancheria  adjacent  to  the  main  build 
ings.  Cattle  were  browsing  on  the  hills. 


52     The  Valiant  Runaways 

A  stream  tangled  in  willows  cut  a  zig-zag 
course  across  the  valley. 

The  boys  rode  quickly  down  the  hill 
side.  As  the  padres  heard  the  approach 
ing  hoof-beats  they  paused  in  their  walk, 
and  shading  their  eyes  with  their  hands 
gazed  earnestly  at  the  travellers. 

"Friends!  Friends!"  cried  Roldan  gaily, 
as  the  tired  steeds  trotted  up  to  the  corri 
dor.  The  boys  dismounted  and  made 
a  deep  reverence.  One  of  the  priests, 
a  man  with  a  grave  stern  face  came 
forward. 

"  Who  are  you,  my  children  ?  "  he  asked. 
4t  You  are  the  sons  of  aristocrats,  and  yet 
you  are  torn  and  unkempt,  and  one  of  you 
has  ridden  many  leagues  without  a  saddle. 
Are  you  runaways  ?  The  shelter  of  the 
Mission  is  for  all,  but  we  do  not  counte 
nance  insubordination." 

Roldan  introduced  himself  and  his 
friend.  "  We  are  runaways,  my  father,'' 
he  added,  "  but  from  the  government;  and 
Ave  have  arranged  that  our  parents  shall 
not  be  anxious.  We  do  not  wish  to  be 
drafted." 


The  Valiant  Runaways    53 

The  priest's  brow  relaxed.  The  padres 
had  little  respect  for  a  system  that  owed 
its  existence  mainly  to  the  vanity  of  gov 
ernors  and  generals,  and  the  present 
governor,  Micheltorena,  had  by  no  means 
won  the  approval  of  the  Church. 

"  You  are  welcome,  my  sons,"  he  said. 
"If  the  officers  come  we  cannot  deny  your 
presence;  but  I  do  not  think  they  will  find 
their  way  here,  and  we  certainly  shall  not 
send  for  them.  You  are  hungry  and  tired, 
no  ? " 

"  Father,  we  could  eat  our  horses." 

The  padre  laughed,  and  calling  a  young 
brother  who  was  piously  telling  his  beads 
bade  him  go  and  see  that  a  hasty  luncheon 
was  prepared.  An  Indian  came  and  took 
the  mustangs,  and  the  boys  were  led  by 
the  hospitable  priest  into  a  large  room, 
comfortably  furnished,  the  walls  hung  with 
some  very  good  religious  pictures. 

The  padres,  in  truth,  were  glad  of  vis 
itors  at  any  time.  They  were  clever 
educated  men  who  had  given  their  lives 
to  christianising  brainless  savages  in  a 

c>  o 

sparsely  settled  country;  and  any  news  of 


54    The  Valiant  Runaways 

the  outer  world  was  very  welcome.  They 
pushed  back  their  hoods  and  sat  about  the 
boys,  their  faces  beaming  with  interest 
and  amusement  as  they  listened  to  the 
adventures  of  those  wayward  youths.  And 
as  all  men,  even  priests,  love  courage  and 
audacity,  they  clapped  their  hands  together 
more  than  once  or  embraced  the  lads 
heartily. 

When  luncheon  was  announced  and 
the  doors  of  the  long  refectory  thrown 
open,  the  boys  were  shown  in  as  if  they 
had  been  princes  and  told  to  satisfy  them* 
selves.  This  they  did,  nor  ever  uttered  a 
word.  The  priests  had  tactfully  with 
drawn.  Rolclan  a-nd  Adan  ate  enough 
beans,  rice,  cold  chicken,  tongue,  and 
dulces  to  make  up  for  their  prolonged 
fast,  and  finished  with  a  cup  of  choco 
late  and  a  bunch  of  grapes.  After  that 
they  went  to  sleep  in  two  clean  little 
cells,  to  which  they  were  conducted,  nor 
awakened  until  all  the  air  was  ringing 
with  the  sweet-voiced  clangor  of  mission 
bells. 

Roldan  turned  on  his  elbow  and  looked 


The  Valiant  Runaways     55 

out  of  the  window.  The  square  was 
rapidly  filling  with  Indians,  some  running 
in  willingly  enough,  others  driven  in  at  the 
end  of  the  leash  by  the  lay  brethren.  All 
knelt  on  the  ground  for  a  few  moments. 
Roldan,  whose  eyes  were  very  keen,  and, 
during  these  days,  preternaturally  sharp 
ened,  noted  that  several  of  the  Indians 
were  whispering  under  cover  of  the  loud 
mutterings  about  them.  The  face  of  the 
Californian  Indian  is  not  pleasant  to  con 
template  at  any  time :  it  is  either  stupid  or 
sinister.  Roldan  fancied  he  detected  some 
thing  particularly  evil  in  the  glance  of  the 
whispering  savages,  and  resolved  to  warn 
the  priests. 

The  scene  was  peaceful  enough.  The 
cattle  browsing  on  the  hills  gave  the  land 
scape  an  air  of  great  repose,  and  the 
mountains  beyond  were  lost  under  a  pur 
ple  mist.  The  large  stone  fountain  in  the 
court  splashed  lazily.  As  the  worshippers 
rose  and  withdrew,  the  silver  bells  rang  out 
a  merry  peal,  announcing  that  the  morrow 
would  be  Sunday. 

Roldan    fell    asleep    again.      When    he 


56     The  Valiant  Runaways 

awoke  it  was  dark  outside,  but  on  the 
table  by  his  cot  was  a  lighted  taper  and  a 
dish  of  fruit.  He  ate  of  the  fine  grapes 
and  pears,  then  rose  and  opened  his  door. 
In  the  small  room  beyond  a  young  priest 
was  seated  at  a  table,  bending  over  a  large 
leaf  of  parchment,  to  which  he  was  apply 
ing  a  pen  with  quick  delicate  strokes. 
He  looked  up  with  a  smile. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  asked  Roldan, 
curiously,  approaching  the  table. 

44  Illuminating  the  manuscripts  of  a 
mass.  Look."  And  he  displayed  the  ex 
quisite  border  to  the  music,  the  latter 
written  with  equal  precision  and  neatness. 
44  This  will  be  alive  when  I  am  not  even 
dust.  No  one  will  know  that  I  did  it ; 
but  I  like  the  thought  that  it  may  live  for 
centuries." 

44  If  I  did  it,  I  should  sign  my  name  to 
it,"  said  Roldan,  with  his  first  prompting 
of  ambition.  4<  But  I  never  could  do  that ; 
I  have  not  the  patience.  I  mean  to  be 
governor  of  the  Californias." 

"  I  hope  you  may  be,"  said  the  young 
priest,  gravely. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     57 

"Are  all  your  Indians  docile?"  asked 
Roldan,  abruptly. 

The  priest  raised  his  head.  "  Why  do 
you  ask  ?  " 

Roldan  related  his  suspicions. 

The  priest  shot  a  furtive  glance  through 
the  open  window  at  the  dark  square. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  said  slowly.  "  Some 
times  I  have  thought  —  you  see,  many  are 
stubborn  and  intractable,  and  have  to  be 
flogged  and  chained.  Privately  I  think  we 
are  wasting  our  energies.  We  will  leave 
California  several  beautiful  monuments  for 
posterity  to  wonder  at,  but  as  for  the 
Indians  we  will  end  where  we  began. 
They  are  always  escaping  and  running 
back  to  the  mountains.  Their  every  in 
stinct  is  for  barbarism  ;  they  have  not  one 
for  civilization,  nor  can  any  be  planted 
whose  roots  will  not  trail  over  the  surface. 
The  good  Lord  intended  them  to  be 
savages,  nothing  more;  and  it  is  mistaken 
sentimentalism  —  However,  it  is  not  for 
me  to  criticise,  and  I  beg,  Don  Roldan, 
that  you  will  not  repeat  what  I  have 
said." 


58     The  Valiant  Runaways 

14  Of  course  I  shall  not ;  but  tell  me,  do 
you  think  there  is  danger?  " 

"  We  have  one  rather  bright  young 
Indian  —  there  are  about  a  dozen  excep 
tions  in  all  California,  and  they  are  treach 
erous.  His  name  is  Anastacio,  and  he  has 
great  influence  with  the  other  Indians.  A 
good  many  of  them  are  angry  at  present 
because  they  have  been  punished  for  steal 
ing  grapes  and  stores,  and  just  now  they 
are  rather  excited  because  it  has  been 
proposed  to  banish  Anastacio  to  a  Mission 
where  there  are  more  soldiers,  —  he  is 
regarded  as  the  inciter  of  the  outrages." 

"  Have  you  soldiers  here  ?  " 

"  Eleven.  The  guard  house  is  in  the 
left  hand  corner  of  the  square.  But  what 
could  they  do  in  an  uprising?  We  must 
get  rid  of  Anastacio.  I  will  go  now  and 
speak  to  Padre  Flores." 

Roldan  went  out  into  the  square  and 
strolled  over  to  the  soldiers'  quarters. 
The  door  was  closed,  but  light  streamed 
from  an  uncovered  window,  and  he  had  a 
good  view  of  the  guard  room.  A  half 
do/en  soldiers  were  lying  about  on 


The  Valiant  Runaways     59 

benches,  half-dressed,  smoking  the  eternal 
cigarito.  Two  were  at  a  table  writing. 
None  looked  alert,  but  as  Roldan  passed 
out  of  the  plaza  to  the  open  beyond,  he 
encountered  a  sentinel  who  was  ready  to 
gossip  with  the  young  don  and  told  him 
that  three  more  were  on  duty  on  the 
several  sides  of  the  square. 

Roldan  strolled  on  to  the  rancheria,  a 
collection  of  six  or  eight  hundred  huts  of 
mud  and  straw  among  a  thicket  of  willows 
by  the  creek.  Here  all  was  dark  and 
quiet.  He  glanced  through  several  of  the 
uncurtained  windows  and  saw  whole  fam 
ilies  peacefully  asleep.  Suddenly  he 
paused  and  held  his  breath,  at  the  same 
time  retreating  into  the  heavy  shade  of 
a  willow.  A  number  of  doors  had  opened 
almost  simultaneously ;  there  was  the 
sharp  crunch  of  dry  brush,  and  dark 
figures  glided,  with  the  snake-like  motion 
peculiar  to  the  Indian,  toward  the  upper 
end  of  the  rancheria. 

Roldan  waited  a  moment,  then  followed 
softly.  He  had  set  himself  the  duty  of 
saving  the  Mission  which  had  shown  him 


60     The  Valiant  Runaways 

hospitality,  and  was  not  to  be  deterred. 
Moreover,  the  spirit  of  adventure  was  by 
no  means  quenched. 

In  a  few  moments  he  paused  opposite  ; 
large  hut,  from  which  issued  a  subdued 
murmur.  The  window  had  been  covered, 
but  a  thin  ray  of  light  pierced  through 
a  crack  in  the  door,  and  to  this  Roldan 
applied  his  eye. 

The  room  was  crowded  with  Indians 
standing  respectfully  about  a  man  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  whom  Roldan  knew 
instinctively  to  be  Anastacio.  He  was 
big  and  clean-limbed  and  sinewy,  with 
small  cunning  eyes,  a  resolute  mouth  and 
chin,  and  an  air  of  perfect  fearlessness. 
Roldan  warmed  to  him,  and  looked  with 
admiration  and  envy  at  the  muscles  on  his 
splendid  limbs. 

He  was  speaking  rapidly  in  the  native 
patois,  and  Roldan  could  gather  little  of 
his  meaning  beyond  what  his  gestures 
conveyed.  He  shook  his  fist  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  Mission,  snapped  his  fingers 
in  scorn,  pointed  toward  the  mountains, 
then  made  the  motion  of  speeding  an 


The  Valiant  Runaways    61 

arrow  from  the  bow,  at  the  same  time 
contracting  his  face  hideously. 

Roldan  stayed  as  long  as  he  dared, 
then  returned  hastily  to  the  Mission.  A 
friar  was  locking  up  for  the  night,  and 
began  to  chide  the  young  guest  for  being 
out  so  late,  but  Roldan  interrupted  him 
impatiently. 

"  Can  I  see  Padre  Flores  to-night  ? " 
he  asked.  "  I  must  see  him.  It  is 
important." 

"  He  has  retired  to  his  cell,  but  I  will 
take  your  message ;  and  he  never  denies 
himself  to  those  that  need  him." 

He  went  to  the  end  of  the  corridor  and 
tapped  at  a  door.  In  a  few  moments  he 
returned. 

"  Padre  Flores  will  see  you,"  he  said. 

The  priest  was  standing  by  the  little 
altar  in  the  corner  of  his  cell  when 
Roldan  entered. 

"  What  is  it,  my  son  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Have 
you  learned  anything  new  ?  Padre  Este- 
nega  has  told  me  of  your  suspicions." 

Roldan  rapidly  related  what  he  had  seen. 
The  priest's  face  became  grave  and  anxious. 


6,2     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  There  is  trouble  brewing,  I  fear,"  he 
said.  Then  he  smiled  suddenly.  "  You 
ran  away  to  avoid  fighting.  It  would 
be  odd  if  you  found  yourself  in  the  midst 
of  it." 

"  I  did  not  run  away  to  avoid  fighting," 
said  Roldan,  flushing  hotly.  "  Pardon, 
father;  I  meant  that  you  have  misunder 
stood.  I  do  not  choose  to  be  shut  up  in  a 
barrack  against  my  will,  but  I  am  ready  to 
fight;  and,  although  I  am  not  yet  sixteen, 
you  shall  see  that  I  can  help  you  protect 
your  Mission.  And  Adan  too." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it.  I  did  but  tease  you. 
And  your  part  shall  begin  to-night.  You 
are  rested,  no  ?  " 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  wanted  no  more  sleep  for 
a  week." 

"  Very  well.  Tell  brother  Antonio  — 
whom  you  met  on  the  corridor  just  now 
—  to  let  you  in  the  church  by  the  side 
door  and  give  you  the  key,  with  which  you 
will  lock  yourself  in.  Then  go  up  into 
the  belfry  and  watch.  It  is  the  full  of  the 
moon  and  clear.  If  you  merely  see  a 
dozen  or  more  figures  gliding  about  the 


The  Valiant  Runaways    63 

rancheria,  that  will  mean  that  they  are 
plotting,  and  intend  no  action  to-night. 
If  you  see  several  hundred,  run  down  and 
bring  me  word.  But  if  you  see  a  mass  of 
men  rise  at  once  and  descend  upon  the 
west  gate,  ring  the  bells.  I  shall  go  and 
warn  the  soldiers,  and  every  priest  and 
brother  will  sleep  on  his  pistol  to-night. 
But  I  don't  think  they  are  organised  as  yet. 
Before  dawn  I  shall  send  a  messenger  to 
the  nearest  town  for  reinforcements.  Go, 
my  son.  You  are  a  brave  and  clever  lad." 
Roldan  ran  down  the  corridor  and  se 
cured  admission  to  the  church.  When  he 
had  locked  the  door  behind  him,  the  vast 
dark  building,  beneath  whose  tiles  priests 
lay  buried,  shook  his  spirit  as  night  and  the 
plains  had  not  done,  and  he  wished  that 
he  had  brought  Adan.  Then  he  jerked  his 
shoulders,  reflected  that  cowards  did  not 
carry  off  the  prizes  of  the  world,  and  de 
termined  that  his  first  should  be  the  admi 
ration  and  approval  of  the  priests  and 
soldiers  of  this  great  Mission.  He  walked 
rapidly  down  the  nave,  trying  not  to  hear 
the  hollow  echo  of  his  footsteps,  then 


64     The  Valiant  Runaways 

opened  several  doors  before  he  found  the 
one  behind  which  was  the  spiral  stair  lead 
ing  to  the  belfry.  His  supple  legs  carried 
him  swiftly  up  the  steep  ascent,  and  in  a 
moment  he  was  straining  his  eyes  in  the 
direction  of  the  rancheria. 

The  belfry  was  about  ten  feet  square. 
The  massive  walls  contained  three  large 
apertures,  through  which  the  clear  sonor 
ous  notes  of  the  great  bells  carried  far. 
Just  beneath  the  arch  Roldan  had  selected 
as  observatory,  and  on  the  side  opposite  the 
plaza  was  the  private  garden  of  the  padres, 
surrounded  by  cloisters.  An  aged  figure, 
cowled,  his  arms  folded,  was  pacing  slowly. 

Roldan,  glancing  over  his  shoulder,  saw 
Padre  Flores  return  from  the  soldiers' 
quarters ;  but  in  the  rancheria  there  was  no 
motion  but  the  swaying  tops  of  the  willows, 
and  no  sound  anywhere  but  the  hoot  of 
the  owl  and  the  yap  of  the  coyote. 

It  was  a  long  and  lonely  watch.  Rol 
dan  felt  as  if  he  were  suspended  in  air, 
cut  off  from  Earth  and  all  its  details. 
Although  his  military  instinct  had  been 
aroused  and  he  burned  for  fight,  his  spirit 


The  Valiant  Runaways    65 

grew  graver  in  that  isolation,  and  he 
resolved  to  do  all  he  could  to  save  the 
Mission  from  attack.  It  was  there  for 
peace  and  good  deeds,  and  its  preservation 
was  of  far  more  importance  than  a  small 
pair  of  spurs  for  Master  Roldan. 

Nevertheless,  Roldan  was  to  win  his 
spurs. 

Toward  morning  he  saw  an  Indian,  at 
tended  by  a  priest,  let  himself  out  of  a 
gate  and  steal  toward  the  corral.  A  few 
moments  later  he  reappeared,  leading  a 
mustang  up  the  valley  in  the  shadow  of 
the  trees.  The  priest  re-entered  the  gate, 
and  Roldan  knew  that  the  messenger  had 
gone  forth  for  help. 

At  sunrise  a  brother  came  running  up 
the  stair.  "  Better  go  down,"  he  said, 
smiling.  "  I  am  going  to  ring  for  mass, 
and  it  will  deafen  you.  You  saw  nothing, 
of  course  ?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  We  did  not  expect  it,  and  slept.  It 
takes  time  to  organise." 

"  Have  they  any  weapons  ?  " 

"  Their   bows   and    arrows.       We  have 


66    The  Valiant  Runaways 

always  thought  it  best  to  leave  them  those 
in  case  of  assault  by  savage  tribes." 

Roldan  descended  the  stair  as  the  bells 
rang  out  their  peremptory  summons. 
Although  he  was  tired  and  sleepy,  he  de 
termined  to  remain  in  the  church  during 
mass,  and  knelt  near  the  altar  by  a  pillar 
where  he  could  command  a  view  of  the 
nave.  Almost  the  first  to  enter  was  Anas- 
tacio.  He  carried  himself  proudly  —  like 
a  warrior,  thought  Roldan  —  and  advanc 
ing  to  the  altar  bowed  low,  then  knelt 
stiffly,  his  eyes  closed. 

The  others  drifted  in  slowly :  the 
women  kneeling  on  the  right,  the 
men  on  the  left.  Finally  all  the  priests 
and  brothers,  except  Padre  Flores,  who 
conducted  the  service,  entered  and  knelt 
in  the  aisle.  Padre  Flores'  garments  were 
as  rich  as  any  worn  in  old  Spain,  and  the 
candelabra  about  him  were  as  massive. 
The  images  of  the  saints  were  clad  in 
white  satin  embroidered  with  gold  and 
silver  thread.  On  the  walls  were  many 
high-coloured  paintings  of  saints,  softened 
by  the  flood  of  light  from  the  wax  candles. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     67 

Roldan  watched  keenly  all  the  faces 
within  the  line  of  his  vision.  They  were 
mostly  sleepy.  Suddenly,  as  his  glance 
shifted,  it  encountered  the  eyes  of  Anas- 
tacio.  Those  powerful  crafty  orbs  were 
fixed  upon  him  under  drawn  brows. 

"  He  suspects  me,"  thought  Roldan,  and 
then  once  more  demonstrated  that  several 
of  his  talents  were  diplomatic.  He  glanced 
past  the  Indian  indifferently  to  the  women, 
then,  to  the  priests,  and  from  there  to  the 
paintings  and  altar,  his  regard  but  that  of 
the  curious  traveller. 

When  Roldan  left  the  church  he  en 
countered  Adan,  who  evidently  had  en 
tered  last  and  knelt  near  the  door. 

"  Where  did  you  go  last  night  ?  "  Adan 
demanded  loudly. 

"  I  sat  up  talking  to  the  priests  and 
roaming  about  the  square,"  replied  Roldan. 
Anastacio  was  almost  at  his  elbow. 

"  Well,  I  had  had  sleep  enough  by 
twelve  o  'clock  and  I  went  into  your  cell, 
and  then  spent  the  rest  of  the  night  wait 
ing  for  you  to  come  back." 

"  I  hope  breakfast  is  ready.    Come." 


68     The  Valiant  Runaways 

j 

They  went  to  the  refectory,  where  Padre 
Flores  embraced  Roldan  heartily,  but 
made  no  allusion  to  his  watch  ;  there  were 
Indian  servants  present.  After  breakfast 
the  two  boys  walked  up  and  down  the 
middle  of  the  square,  and  Roldan  re 
lated  his  experience  of  the  night.  Adan 
listened  with  open  mouth  and  shortened 
breath. 

"  Caramba  !  "  he  ejaculated.  "  Is  there 
to  be  a  fight?" 

"  I  am  sure  of  it.  Are  you  frightened  ?  " 

"  Not  I.  I  'd  rather  fight  Indians  than 
ford  a  river.  But  do  you  think  we  can 
hold  out?" 

"We  can  try.  And  if  they  don't  make 
the  attack  to-night,  we  shall  have  the 
better  chance,  because  the  reinforcement 
will  arrive  to-morrow.  But  that  Anastacio 
Mispects  me,  and  doubtless  he  has  dis 
covered  in  some  way  that  the  messenger 
has  gone.  I  am  sure  there  will  be  trouble 
to-night,  and  I  am  going  now  to  get  a 
good  sleep.  Do  you  sleep,  too ;  and  see 
that  you  eat  no  dulces  for  supper,  lest 
they  make  you  heavy." 


The  Valiant  Runaways    69 

He  awoke  about  four  in  the  afternoon. 
There  was  a  babel  of  voices  in  the  plaza, 
and  he  sprang  out  of  bed,  excited  with  the 
thought  that  war  had  begun.  But  he  saw 
only  a  typical  Mission  Sabbath  afternoon. 
Several  hundred  Indians  were  seated  on 
the  ground  in  groups  of  two  or  three, 
gambling  furiously.  Through  the  open 
gates  opposite,  Roldan  could  see  a  spirited 
horse-race,  a  crowd  of  Indians  betting  at 
the  top  of  their  voices. 

Roldan  went  to  the  kitchen  and  asked 
for  a  cold  luncheon,  then  sought  Padre 
Flores.  The  priest  was  in  his  cell,  and  as 
he  saw  Roldan  he  motioned  to  him  to 
close  the  door. 

"  I  can  learn  nothing,  my  son,"  he  said ; 
"  but  something  in  the  air  tells  me  that 
there  will  be  trouble  to-night.  Will  you 
watch  again  ?  " 

"  I  will,  my  father." 

"  We  will  all  sleep  on  our  pistols.  Now 
listen.  All  we  can  do  is  to  protect  the 
gates.  If  you  ring  once  that  means  that 
the  Indians  are  advancing  on  the  south 
g^tc,  the  one  nearest  the  rancheria.  But 


jo     The  Valiant  Runaways 

they  are  crafty,  and  will  doubtless  seek  to 
enter  by  one  less  guarded.  Two  peals  will 
mean  the  west  gate,  three  the  east,  and  a 
wild  irregular  clamour  the  north.  Can 
you  remember? "  * 

M  I  can,  my  father,"  said  Roldan,  proudly. 

"  I  believe  you.  Go  up  into  the  tower 
at  sundown,  which  is  the  hour  when  the 
gates  are  closed.  As  soon  as  you  have 
finished  ringing  you  can  come  down  and 
join  in  the  fight.  The  arms  will  be  kept  in 
the  room  where  we  sat  yesterday  until  your 
meal  was  made  ready.  Now  go,  my  son,  and 
God  bless  you.  Ah  !  "  he  called  after  him. 
"  Wait  a  moment.  Get  a  cassock  and  put 
it  on.  It  will  make  you  shapeless  among 
the  bells.  Otherwise  you  might  be  seen.'* 

Roldan  was  at  his  post  as  soon  as  the 
Indians  had  been  driven  through  the  gates 
for  the  night.  They  straggled  about  the 
valley,  still  talking  excitedly;  but  there 
was  nothing  unusual  in  this,  the  watcher 
had  been  told.  Gradually  they  moved 
toward  the  rancheria,  disappeared  into  it, 
and  the  valley  was  as  quiet  as  it  had  been 
thu  night  before. 


The  Valiant  Runaways    71 

In  the  great  court  there  were  rifts  of 
light  at  irregular  intervals ;  the  heavy 
wooden  shutters  of  every  window  were 
ajar.  Roldan  felt  the  nervous  tension 
of  those  minds  below,  and  with  it  a  sense 
of  companionship,  very  different  from  the 
oppressive  loneliness  of  his  previous 
watch. 

The  clock  of  the  Mission  had  just  struck 
eleven  when  Roldan  stood  suddenly  erect 
and  hooped  his  hands  about  his  eyes. 
Something  was  moving  in  the  willows  be 
side  the  river.  The  moon  shone  full  on 
the  rancheria,  and  when  the  outer  edge  of 
the  latter  appeared  to  broaden  and  project 
itself  the  effect  was  noticeable  at  once. 

Roldan  watched  breathlessly.  In  a  mo 
ment  there  could  no  longer  be  any  doubt : 
a  broad  compact  something  was  moving 
down  the  valley  toward  the  Mission.  And 
an  army  of  cats  could  not  have  made  less 
sound. 

He  laid  his  hand  on  the  bell  rope.  The 
Indians  came  swiftly,  but  their  course  was 
not  yet  defined.  When  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  Mission  they  deflected  sud- 


72     The  Valiant  Runaways 

clcnly  to  the  right.  Their  destination  was 
not  the  south  gate. 

Roldan  closed  his  eyes  for  a  half  mo 
ment  to  relieve  them  of  the  strain,  then 
opened  them  and  held  his  breath.  Only 
the  outer  fringe  of  the  little  army  could 
now  be  seen ;  it  was  crawling  close  to  the 
western  wall  In  a  few  moments  they 
\\cre  beneath  Roldan  ;  he  could  hear  the 
slight  impact  with  the  air.  Then  once 
more  he  strained  his  eyes  until  he  thought 
they  would  fly  from  his  head,  and  his  lungs 
seemed  bursting.  They  were  approaching 
the  west  gate. 

They  passed  it.  There  could  be  no 
doubt  now  that  they  purposed  to  attack 
the  north  gate;  but  Roldan  dared  not  ring 
until  they  were  well  away  from  the  west 
side,  lest  they  change  their  plans  and  his 
signal  mislead. 

As  they  reached  the  corner  of  the  wall 
they  suddenly  accelerated  their  pace  as  if 
impatience  mastered  them.  When  the 
tail  of  the  procession  had  whisked  about 
and  Roldan  saw  a  compact  mass  move 
like  a  black  cloud  before  the  wind  toward 


The  Valiant  Runaways    73 

the  north  gate,  he  caught  the  rope  in  both 
hands  and  jangled  with  all  his  might. 

The  great  clapper  hurled  itself  against 
the  mighty  sides  of  the  bell  with  a  vio 
lence  which  split  the  nerves  and  made  the 
ear-drums  creak.  The  blood  surged  to 
Roldan's  head,  carrying  chaos  with  it.  He 
had  a  confused  sense  of  a  flood  of  light  in 
the  plaza  below,  but  could  hear  no  other 
sound  except  the  deafening  uproar  in  his 
ears.  Suddenly  something  gave  way  be 
neath  his  feet.  He  had  an  awful  feeling  of 
disintegration,  of  solid  parting  from  solid 
in  empty  space.  He  kicked  out  wildly. 
His  feet  touched  nothino-.  Then  his  head 

o 

suddenly  cleared,  although  the  deep  tones 
of  the  bell  still  seemed  echoing  there,  and 
he  became  aware  that  his  descent  had 
stopped,  and  that  his  hands,  torn  and  ach 
ing,  were  still  clutching  the  rope.  He 
knew  what  had  happened.  He  had 
stepped  too  far  and  gone  through  one  of 
the  arches. 

There  was  no  time  for  fright.  He  be 
gan  to  pull  himself  up  by  the  rope,  hand 
over  hand.  At  the  same  time  he  was 


74    The  Valiant  Runaways 

acutely  conscious  of  many  things.  The 
Indians  were  yelling  like  demoniacs  and 
battering  at  the  gate.  In  the  garden  on 
the  other  side,  the  old  priest  was  shouting 
Ave  Marias  in  a  high  quavering  voice.  A 
breeze  had  sprung  up  and  Roldan  felt  the 
chill  in  it.  And  he  felt  the  weight  of  the 
cassock.  The  heavy  woollen  garment 
fatigued  his  arms  and  impeded  his  pro 
gress.  Were  it  not  for  that  he  could 
scramble  up  like  a  monkey. 

He  was  within  two  feet  of  the  top. 
Suddenly  he  felt  a  slackening  of  the  rope, 
accompanied  by  a  faint  sickening  sound. 
The  rope  was  old,  it  was  giving  way. 

Roldan  made  a  wild  lurch  for  the  project 
ing  floor  of  the  belfry.  The  rope  broke. 
He  went  down. 

He  had  heard  that  a  drop,  however  swift, 
might  seem  to  occupy  hours  to  the 
doomed.  To  his  whirling  horror-struck 
brain  this  descent  certainly  seemed  very 
long.  It  was  almost  as  if  he  were 
sauntering.  Nor  was  he  tumbling  over 
and  over.  He  had  shut  his  eyes  tight 
when  the  rope  snapped.  He  opened  them, 


The  Valiant  Runaways     75 

gave  a  shuddering  glance  downward,  then 
laughed  almost  hysterically:  his  cassock, 
ample  even  for  a  man,  had  caught  the 
breeze  and  spread  out  on  all  sides  like  a 
parachute. 

And  although  the  descent  occupied  but 
a  moment  longer,  he  comprehended  the 
situation,  with  his  abnormally  sharpened 
senses,  as  clearly  as  though  he  stood  on 
high  with  a  spy  glass. 

All  the  inhabitants  of  the  Mission 
proper  —  the  priests,  brothers,  soldiers,  and 
house  servants  —  were  standing  before  the 
north  gate,  firearms  in  hand.  Beyond 
were  some  twenty-five  Indians  battering 
and  yelling,  making  noise  enough  to  in 
duce  the  belief  that  they  numbered  ten 
times  as  many  more.  The  rest  were  not 
to  be  seen,  but  it  was  not  difficult  for  Rol- 
dan  to  suspect  their  purpose. 

He  lighted  on  the  stone  steps  of  the 
church,  tore  off  his  heavy  garment,  and 
ran  toward  the  north  gate.  As  he  did  so 
the  east  gate  fell  with  a  crash,  and  five 
hundred  Indians  rushed  into  the  plaza. 

They    uttered    no    sound.      The  guard 


76     The  Valiant  Runaways 

at  the  upper  end  of  the  square  was  not 
aware  of  their  advent  until  Roldan 
reached  them.  He  was  out  of  breath,  but 
he  caught  the  arm  of  the  man  nearest  him 
and  pointed.  In  a  second  the  word  had 
passed,  and  the  handful  of  defendants 
stared  helplessly  at  the  advancing  hordes. 
But  only  for  a  moment.  Padre  Flores 
shouted  to  fall  into  line,  then  ordered  them 
not  to  fire  in  the  same  breath.  Anasta- 
cio,  somewhat  ahead  of  his  followers,  was 
approaching  with  a  white  rag  in  his 
hand. 

When  within  a  yard  of  the  missionaries 
he  paused  and  saluted  respectfully. 

u  A  word,  my  fathers,"  he  commanded, 
and  in  excellent  Spanish. 

"  Go  on,"  said  Padre  Flores,  sternly. 

41  We  have  not  come  to  kill,"  said  Anns- 
tacio,  slowly  and  with  great  distinctness : 
the  noise  beyond  the  north  gate  had 
ceased.  "  You  know  that  we  never  kill 
the  priests,  nor  do  we  care  for  blood.  We 
have  come  for  the  stores  of  the  Mission  — 
all  your  great  winter  supply,  except  a 
small  quantity  which  we  will  leave  you 


The  Valiant  Runaways    77 

that  you  may  not  suffer  until  you  can  get 
more.  We  are  tired  of  this  life.  We 
belong  to  the  mountains.  We  cannot  see 
that  we  are  any  better  for  your  teachings, 
and  we  certainly  are  not  as  strong.  Now 
let  us  do  our  work  in  peace,  and  all  will  be 
well.  But  if  you  fire,  we  let  our  arrows 
go,  and  we  are  twenty  to  one." 

All  turned  anxiously  to  Padre  Flores. 
They  were  not  warlike,  and  if  no  bodily 
harm  was  intended  they  could  see  no 
reason  for  resistance. 

"  You  have  us  at  disadvantage,"  said 
Padre  Flores,  coldly.  "  I  cannot  sacrifice 
those  in  my  charge,  if  you  do  not  mean  to 
kill.  I  agree  to  your  terms  on  one  con 
dition  :  that  we  retain  our  firearms.  I 
pass  my  word  that  no  one  shall  shoot. 
I  cannot  take  your  word  —  nor  that  of 
any  Indian.  As  you  say,  our  teachings 
are  thrown  away." 

"  I  take  yours,"  said  Anastacio,  undis 
turbed.  "  All  I  ask  is  that  you  remain 
here  under  charge  of  twenty  of  my  fol 
lowers  until  I  call  them  away." 

He    marched     off,    after    planting    his 


78     The  Valiant  Runaways 

guard ;  and  for  the  next  two  hours  he  and 
his  men  looted  the  Mission  and  packed 
the  trove  on  horses  which  had  been 
brought  up,  or  on  the  backs  of  the  bigger 
Indians.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
shouted  to  his  prisoners  to  come  down 
and  enter  the  Mission. 

Roldan  and  Adan  had  been  exchanging 
bitter  condolences  over  the  humiliating 
change  in  the  warlike  programme,  but  the 
raw  air  of  the  morning  had  chilled  their 
enthusiasm,  and  Roldan,  moreover,  began 
to  feel  reaction  from  the  shock  to  his 
nerves.  It  was  not  every  day  that  a  boy 
sailed  down  through  forty  feet  of  space  and 
lit  on  his  feet,  and  his  nerves  were  out 
of  tune. 

When  Anastacio  called,  he  went  with 
the  rest,  but  lagged  behind.  The  door  of 
the  Mission  sala  was  open.  The  priests 
entered  first,  their  heads  scornfully  erect; 
then  the  brethren,  the  soldiers,  and  ser 
vants.  As  Roldan  and  Adan  were  about 
to  enter,  the  door  was  suddenly  pulled  to, 
coarse  hands  were  clapped  over  their 
mouths,  and,  kicking,  struggling,  biting, 


The  Valiant  Runaways    79 

scratching,  they  were  borne  swiftly  across 
the  courtyard  and  out  of  the  gates.  There 
they  were  set  on  their  feet,  and  found 
themselves  face  to  face  with  Anastacio. 

"  Don't  yell,"  he  said.  "There  is  no 
one  to  come  to  the  rescue.  We  shall  not 
hurt  you  unless  you  try  to  run  away. 
Then  I  myself  will  beat  you.  Get  on 
that  horse,  both  of  you." 

"  I  am  tired,"  said  Roldan,  indifferently. 
"  I  want  to  sleep." 

"  Sleep  ?     Very  well.     Come  here." 

He  lifted  him  upon  a  large  horse,  then 
mounted  behind  and  encircled  him  with 
one  arm. 

"  Go  to  sleep,"  he  said ;  and  cantered 
rapidly  down  the  valley,  followed  by  his 
thieving  horde. 


VII 

WHEN  Roldan  awoke  he  shivered 
slightly :  the  breath  of  winter  was 
about  him.  He  peered  into  the  dusk,  but 
could  only  gather  that  he  was  in  a  forest 
of  huge  trees  on  the  side  of  a  mountain. 
High  above  the  wind  was  surging.  He 
had  a  curious  sense  of  travelling  through 
the  depths  of  the  sea  in  a  vacuum,  the  roar 
of  suspended  waters  just  over  his  head. 
Behind,  between  the  giant  trees,  was  a 
moving  column  of  horses  and  men. 

"  Where  are  we  ?  "  he  asked  Anastacio. 

"  In  the  mountains,  in  a  redwood  forest. 
My  pueblo  is  not  far." 

"  What  mountains  ?     What  forest  ?  " 

"  That  you  will  not  know." 

"Where  is  Adan  ?  " 

"  On  a  stout  mustang  between  two  faith 
ful  followers  of  mine." 

"  They  are  unnecessary.  He  would  not 
leave  me." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     8  i 

"  Perhaps  not.  Sometimes  the  white 
man  lies  and  sometimes  he  is  true." 

Roldan  sat  up ;  his  tired  head  had  rested 
against  the  shoulder  of  his  captor. 

"Suppose  I  get  behind  you,"  he  said. 
"  It  will  be  more  comfortable  for  us  both. 
That  is,  if  you  can  trust  me,"  with  an 
attempt  at  sarcasm. 

"  I  trust  you.     Get  behind." 

Roldan  slipped  down,  sprang  up,  then 
strained  his  eyes  once  more  into  the  depths 
of  the  forest.  Nothing  moved  but  that 
winding  procession.  Occasionally  a  coy 
ote  yapped  or  a  wildcat  yelled.  Suddenly 
something  fell  against  his  face,  pricking  it 
gently.  He  looked  over  Anastacio's  shoul 
der.  They  were  passing  into  an  open. 
The  air  was  full  of  white,  whirling  par 
ticles. 

"  It  snows,"  said  Anastacio ;  "  but  we 
are  soon  there." 

"  We  are  in  the  Sierras,"  thought  Rol 
dan.  He  looked  about  with  intense  in 
terest;  he  had  never  seen  snow  before; 
and  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of  the  mighty 
Sierras  had  been  one  of  the  hopes  of  his 

6 


8  2     The  Valiant  Runaways 

life.  The  ground  was  white,  and  crunched 
under  the  horses'  hoofs.  The  air  was 
thick  with  snow-stars  glittering  under  the 
full  radiance  of  the  moon.  Roldan  forgot 
that  he  was  a  captive.  His  mind  had 
made  its  first  impulse  to  the  mysteries  of 
night  and  solitude  during  the  few  moments 
between  his  entry  into  another  forest  and 
the  encounter  with  the  bear ;  it  now  made 
its  first  real  opening.  He  was  vaguely 
troubled  by  the  embryonic  thoughts  that 
in  their  maturity  come  to  men  who  have 
lived  and  suffered,  when  they  are  alone  in 
a  forest  at  night,  far  from  other  men. 

Again  they  plunged  into  the  forest.  No 
snow  penetrated  the  treetops,  knit  to 
gether  by  centuries  and  storms.  All  was 
black  again,  and  the  deep  ocean  of  leaf 
and  branch  roared  faintly  overhead. 

Roldan  felt  oppressed  and  thoughtful. 
He  looked  into  the  future  and  saw  himself 
a  man.  He  would  be  governor  of  the  Cal- 
ifornias,  and  make  himself  a  good  and 
great  man,  wiser  than  the  idle  caballeros 
who  patronised  him  ;  he  would  teach  them 
the  folly  of  their  useless  lives. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     83 

"  Look,"  said  Anastacio,  abruptly.  "  We 
are  here.  It  is  a  pueblo  of  my  fathers, 
and  will  serve  us  now." 

He  pointed  with  his  riding  switch 
through  the  trees  to  a  vague  whiteness, 
and  in  a  moment  they  emerged  into  an 
other  open.  It  was  a  clearing  some  three 
hundred  feet  square,  crowded  with  dilap 
idated  hovels,  white  under  a  light  fall  of 
snow.  It  was  in  the  heart  of  the  Sierras, 
on  the  flat  of  a  peak ;  and  high  on  every 
sfde  reared  other  peaks,  glittering  with 
snow,  black  with  redwoods.  The  snow 
clouds  had  passed.  The  moon  rode  in  a 
dark  blue  sky  set  thick  with  stars.  The 
silence,  the  repose,  were  appalling. 

Roldan  jumped  to  the  ground,  and  ac 
companied  by  Anastacio,  ran  up  and  down 
to  get  the  cold  and  fatigue  of  night  travel 
out  of  his  body.  In  a  few  moments  they 
were  joined  by  Adan,  who  came  waddling 
up,  his  broad  face  knit  with  perplexity  and 
delight. 

"  I  leave  you  now,"  said  Anastacio,  "  but 
remember  —  if  you  attempt  to  escape  you 
carry  poisoned  arrows  in  your  backs." 


84     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"Ay,  Roldan !  "  exclaimed  Adan,  when 
their  formidable  host  was  out  of  hearing. 
'•  But  this  was  more  than  we  bargained  for. 
I  don't  know  whether  I  like  it  or  not." 

"  I  must  say  I  don't  like  the  idea  of 
being  in  the  power  of  savages —  Indians," 
said  Roldan,  contemptuously.  "  But  as  we 
started  out  for  adventure  we  must  take 
black  bread  with  white.  I  think  I  do 
rather  like  this,  but  I  shall  not  if  we  have 
to  stay  here  too  long  and  nothing 
happens." 

"  Is  n't  anything  likely  to  happen  ?  " 
asked  Adan,  anxiously. 

"  How  can  one  tell  ?  And  who  could 
find  this  place  ?  But  if  worst  comes  to 
worst  we'll  run  away  —  and  not  with  poi 
soned  arrows  in  our  backs,  either." 

"  That  we  will,"  said  Adan,  emphatically. 
"  We  Ve  done  that  before." 

The  boys  were  given  a  good  supper  of 
meat  roasted  over  coals,  and  a  slice  of 
Mission  cake,  then  were  escorted  by  Anas- 
tacio  to  the  largest  of  the  huts. 

"  Enter  and  sleep,"  he  said.  "  It  is  my 
hut.  I  shall  sleep  beside  you." 


VIII 

THE  boys  slept  soundly  between  two 
excellent  Mission  blankets  in  a 
corner  of  the  hut,  whose  walls  and  floors 
had  been  well  swept  with  Mission  brooms. 
Anastacio,  despite  his  contempt  for  the 
trammels  of  civilisation,  had  developed  an 
aristocratic  taste  or  two.  He  slept  by  the 
door,  but  when  the  boys  awoke  he  was  not 
there.  The  pueblo,  but  for  two  sentinels 
standing  before  the  door,  was  apparently 
deserted.  The  sun  was  looking  over  the 
highest  peak,  suffusing  the  black  aisles  of 
the  forest  with  a  rosy  glow,  reddening  the 
snow  on  hut  and  level  and  rocky  heights. 
There  was  not  a  sound  except  the  faint 
murmur  of  the  treetops. 

"Where  is  the  world?"  asked  Roldan. 
"  Are  there  ranches,  with  cavalcades  and 
bull-fights,  lazy  caballeros  lying  in  ham 
mocks  smoking  cigaritos,  or  dancing  the 
night  through  with  silly  girls  ?  Dios  de 
mi  alma !  I  feel  as  if  I  did  not  care." 


86     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  Caramba  !  "  exclaimed  Adan,  "  /  am 
famished.  Do  you  suppose  they  have 
left  us  anything  to  eat  ? " 

"  I  suppose  there  is  nothing  to  do  but 
ask  one  of  these  dogs  to  be  good  enough 
to  give  us  breakfast  —  no,  not  ask.  I  could 
starve,  but  not  beg  of  an  Indian." 

He  beckoned  haughtily  to  one  of  the 
sentinels,  who  approached  and  saluted  re 
spectfully. 

"  Breakfast,"  said  the  young  don,  curtly. 
"  We  wish  to  eat  at  once." 

The  Indian  went  over  to  a  large  stone 
oven  and  took  out  four  meal  cakes,  which 
he  carried  to  the  boys,  then  fetched  them 
fruit  and  wine. 

"  Where  is  Anastacio  and  the  others  ?  " 
asked  Roldan,  breakfast  over. 

"  In  the  temascal." 

Roldan  sprang  to  his  feet.  "  Do  you 
hear  that,  Adan?"  he  cried.  "We  have 
always  wanted  to  see  Indians  in  temascal." 
To  the  sentinel,  "  Take  us  there  at  once." 

The  Indian  scowled.  "  But  for  you, 
senor,  we,  too,  are  in  the  temascal." 

"  Take  us  to  the  temascal,"  said  Roldan, 


The  Valiant  Runaways    87 

peremptorily,  and  the  savage,  in  whom 
servility  had  been  planted  by  civilisation, 
yielded  to  the  will  of  the  aristocrat.  He 
bent  his  shoulders  and  said :  "  Bueno ; 
come ! " 

The  boys  followed  him  through  the 
brush,  the  sweet-scented  chaparral  on  which 
the  honey-dew  still  lingered,  to  another  and 
smaller  clearing.  Here  were  several  long 
rows  of  earthen  huts,  three  or  four  feet 
high,  out  of  which  smoke  poured  through 
an  aperture  in  the  roof  of  each.  Near  by 
was  a  broad  creek  to  which  the  bank 
sloped  gently  from  the  clearing.  The 
creek,  some  three  feet  deep,  murmured 
over  coloured  stones  and  sprouting  trees. 
The  long  fine  strands  of  the  ice  grass 
trailed  far  over  the  water,  motionless. 
Huge  bunches  of  maidenhair,  delicate  as 
green  lace,  clung  to  the  steep  bluffs  on 
the  opposite  side.  Forests  of  ferns  grew 
close  to  the  waters  edge.  Down  through 
a  rift  in  the  cliffs  tumbled  a  mountain 
stream  over  its  rocky  bed. 

"  Are  they  stewing  in  those  things  ? " 
asked  Roldan. 


88     The  Valiant  Runaways 

The  Indian  nodded.  Roldan,  followed 
closely  by  Adan,  approached  one  of  the 
temascals  and  opened  the  door  cautiously. 
At  first  they  could  see  nothing,  so  dense 
was  the  smoke  ;  but  when  much  had  rushed 
out  through  the  new  opening,  they  saw 
two  prostrate  figures,  sweating  from  every 
pore.  Their  eyes  were  closed,  they 
breathed  stertorously.  The  expression  on 
their  heavy  faces  was  beatific. 

"  Caramba  !  "  exclaimed  Adan,  as  Roldan 
closed  the  door,  "  I  am  glad  they  like  it. 
What  a  lot  of  trouble  to  get  clean." 

"  As  they  never  take  a  bath,  they  could  n't 
get  clean  any  other  way ;  and  besides  it 
rests  them  after  any  great  exertion  —  Mis 
sion  raiding,  for  instance  —  and  they  also 
fancy  it  drags  every  humour  out  through 
the  pores  of  the  skin.  They  '11  be  coming 
out  soon.  Let  us  go  down  to  the  creek 
and  wait." 

The  smoke  was  ascending  upward  in 
straight  columns  through  the  still  air, 
scarcely  clouding  the  brilliant  morning, 
not  a  wreath  wandering  into  the  aisles  of 
the  forest.  The  sun  climbed  higher,  melt- 


The  Valiant  Runaways    89 

ing  the  light  fall  of  snow,  its  rays  dancing 
among  the  silver  ripples  of  the  water,  vivi 
fying  the  many  greens  about  the  creek. 

The  boys  amused  themselves  flinging 
pebbles  at  the  darting  trout  and  discussing 
chances  of  escape. 

"  We  must  not  fly  too  soon,"  said  Roldan, 
"or  we  shall  run  into  the  soldiers.  Of 
course  they  are  scouring  the  country  after 
these  robbers." 

"  This  is  a  good  place  to  hide  in  until 
the  Mission  food  gives  out ;  but  I  'd  prefer 
even  the  barracks  to  living  on  acorns  — 
Ay,  look !  " 

The  door  of  one  of  the  temascals  had 
opened.  A  limp  figure  tottered  forth  and 
down  to  the  bank.  He  almost  fell  into  the 
creek,  but  had  sufficient  wit  uncooked  to 
rest  his  head  on  a  projecting  stone.  Pres 
ently  came  another,  then  another,  and 
another,  until  the  bright  rocks  were  cov 
ered  with  dusky  forms,  the  heads  bobbing 
just  above  the  surface,  supported  on  stump 
or  stone.  The  boys  barely  recognised 
Anastacio.  Where  was  that  commanding 
presence,  that  haughty  mien  ?  Bowed  like 


go     The  Valiant  Runaways 

an  old  man,  blind  from  smoke,  with  sim 
mering  brain,  he  reeled  into  the  water  with 
as  little  dignity  as  his  creatures. 

But  in  less  than  an  hour  all  had  sprung 
forth  briskly,  danced  about  in  the  sun  to 
dry,  and  started  on  a  run  for  the  pueblo. 
Roldan  and  Adan  followed  close,  knowing 
that  a  feast  alone  would  satisfy  appetite 
after  the  temascal.  And  in  a  little  time 
the  smell  of  roast  meat  pervaded  the  morn 
ing,  great  cakes  were  roasting.  The  boys 
were  invited  to  eat  apart  with  Anastacio. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  meal  the  host, 
who  had  not  spoken,  solemnly  poured  out 
three  glasses  of  fire-water.  He  swallowed 
his  at  a  gulp.  The  boys  sipped  a  few 
drops,  winking  rapidly.  Then  Roldan 
thought  it  time  to  speak  :  his  chief  was 
visibly  thawed. 

"What  are  you  keeping  us  for?"  he 
asked. 

"Ransom."  Anastacio  lit  a  cigarito  — 
one  of  the  padre's  —  and  lay  back  on  a 
bearskin. 

"  Do  you  know  why  we  ran  away  ?  To 
escape  the  conscription.  If  you  give  us 


The  Valiant  Runaways     91 

up,  all  our  adventures,  our  dangers,  our 
escapes,  will  be  as  nothing,  and  we  shall 
be  punished  besides." 

Anastacio  moved  his  eyes  to  Roldan's 
with  a  flash  of  interest. 

"  Good  !  I  hate  the  government.  You 
shall  stay  here  until  the  time  of  conscrip 
tion  is  over.  Then  I  will  get  a  big  sack 
of  Mexican  dollars,  a  herd  of  cattle,  a  cap- 
onara  of  horses,  and  much  tobacco  and 
whiskey.  Who  are  your  fathers  ?  " 

Roldan  explained. 

Anastacio  flushed  under  his  thick  skin. 
"  Good.  I  will  double  the  ransom  —  and 
the  guard." 

"  The  conscription  will  be  over  in  a  few 
weeks  —  " 

"  You  could  not  go  before.  We  too 
must  hide.  Of  course  the  soldiers  are  be 
hind.  I  have  many  scouts  watching. 
Now  go  to  sleep." 

The  following  week  was  clear  and  bright, 
but  very  cold.  The  boys,  bred  in  the 
warm  basin  of  California,  must  have  suf 
fered  had  not  Anastacio  ordered  one  of  his 
minions  to  make  them  coat  and  boots  from 


g  2     The  Valiant  Runaways 

the  skin  of  the  coyote.  Every  morning 
the  chief  drilled  his  men  with  the  tactics 
of  a  born  commander  who  had  let  no  op 
portunity  for  observation  escape  him.  The 
military  discipline  of  the  pueblo  was  only 
relaxed  for  three  hours  in  the  afternoon, 
during  which  time  the  Indians  were  given 
full  taste  of  the  freedom  they  coveted  that 
they  might  battle  for  it  the  more  passion 
ately  when  the  time  came.  They  gambled* 
slept,  shot  game  in  the  forest,  exercised 
the  horses,  which  were  in  corral  about 
a  mile  from  the  camp.  The  boys  shot 
deer  with  Anastacio,  and  wrestled  in  the 
plaza.  Occasionally  the  taciturn  Indian 
unbent  when  sitting  by  the  great  bonfire 
in  the  open  at  night,  and  told  wild  tales  of 
savage  life  before  the  padres  came.  Rol- 
dan  admired  his  splendid  supple  body  and 
fearless  manhood,  but  the  Indian  was  too 
sinister  to  inspire  affection.  Adan  was 
loudly  bored.  Roldan's  ardent  imagina 
tion  sustained  him. 

At  the  end  of  the  week  the  scouts  hav 
ing  failed  to  discover  any  sign  of  the 
enemy,  Anastacio  determined  to  go  down 


The  Valiant  Runaways     93 

to  the  river  in  the  valley  for  a  fortnight's 
salmon  fishing.  He,  too,  was  bored.  The 
fangs  of  civilisation  are  long  and  tenacious. 

It  was  on  a  brilliant  winter's  morning 
that  Anastacio,  his  captives",  and  his  five 
hundred  men  wound  their  way  down 
through  the  cold  forest  on  the  mountain 
into  the  soft  warm  air  of  the  valley.  There 
had  been  no  rain  for  three  weeks,  and  the 
river  was  not  more  than  half  full ;  and  it 
was  very  quiet.  They  camped  on  the 
bank,  well  away  from  the  scattered  groups 
of  trees,  that  they  might  not  lose  a  ray  of 
sunshine ;  and  Roldan  and  Adan  forgot 
that  they  were  under  constant  surveillance. 
There  were  no  tents;  they  slept  in  the 
open  air,  the  boys  in  the  centre  of  a  square 
of  Indians.  During  the  day  they  caught 
many  fine  salmon,  and  salted  what  they 
did  not  eat,  to  sell  to  the  rancheros. 

It  was  on  the  sixth  night  that  Roldan, 
who  was  wakeful,  suddenly  raised  himself 
on  his  elbow  and  listened  intently.  Far 
away,  above  the  murmur  of  the  river,  the 
audible  slumbers  of  the  camp,  he  heard  a 
low,  precise,  monotonous  sound.  He  knew 


94    The  Valiant  Runaways 

what  it  meant.  For  a  moment  he  hesi 
tated.  The  chances  of  escape  seemed  to 
grow  less  daily.  It  was  true  that  he  was 
in  no  danger,  that  he  would  eventually  be 
restored  to  his  parents  —  but  with  his  ad 
ventures  cut  short.  He  was  fond  of  his 
home,  but  it  was  always  there,  and  he  was 
keen  for  variety :  his  life  had  been  very 
uneventful.  On  the  other  hand,  if  that  ad 
vancing  army  conquered  the  Indians,  might 
not  his  and  Adan's  captivity  be  far  more 
distasteful  than  it  was  at  present  ?  He 
sprang  up  and  called  Anastacio.  In  a 
second  that  warrior  was  on  his  feet  and 
had  leaped  over  his  alert  sentinels  into  the 
square. 

"  What  is  it?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Listen." 

Anastacio'  threw  himself  full  length  and 
laid  his  ear  to  the  ground.  A  moment 
later  he  was  erect  again.  He  caught 
Roldan  by  one  shoulder  and  Adan  by  the 
other.  By  this  time  every  Indian  in  the 
camp  was  pressing  about  his  chief. 

"  They  are  not  two  miles  away,"  said 
Anastacio.  "  And  the  dawn  will  be  here 


The  Valiant  Runaways    95 

in  an  hour.  There  are  ten  miles  between 
us  and  the  mountains.  I  don't  wish  to 
fight  in  the  open  without  knowing  their 
numbers." 

Roldan  danced  up  and  down  with  sud 
den  excitement.  "  I  have  a  plan,"  he  cried. 
"You  can  trust  me.  I  don't  want  to  go 
back." 

Anastacio  bent  his  keen  malevolent  eyes 
close  above  the  young  Spaniard's,  then 
loosened  his  hold. 

"  Bueno,"  he  said.     "  I  trust  you." 

"The  straw,"  said  Roldan.  "Bring  it 
all  here." 

Anastacio  gave  the  order,  and  an  im 
mense  carreta  of  straw  was  trundled  up. 

"Now,"  said  Roldan,  "gather  it  into 
bunches  the  size  of  a  man's  head  and  tie 
each  firmly.  The  tide  is  running  toward 
the  enemy,  and  it  is  too  dark  to  see  clearly. 
Do  you  understand,  senor  ?  " 

Anastacio  made  a  loud  exclamation, 
caught  Roldan  in  his  arms  and  kissed 
him,  much  to  that  haughty  young  gentle 
man's  disgust,  then  tied  the  first  bunch 
himself.  Roldan,  Adan,  and  some  forty 


96     The  Valiant  Runaways 

of  the  quicker  Indians  rapidly  manipulated 
the  straw,  and  in  little  more  than  ten 
minutes  had  cast  a  hundred  round  com 
pact  bundles  into  the  hurrying  tide.  As 
they  sailed  away  they  certainly  looked, 
under  the  heavy  shadow  of  the  banks  and 
the  black-blue  of  the  sky,  like  an  army  of 
men  swimming  with  the  desperate  haste 
of  terror,  their  heads  alone  above  water. 

"  Now!  "  cried  Anastacio,  "  to  the  moun 
tains." 

They  had  brought  only  pack-horses. 
There  was  nothing  to  do  but  run,  and 
Anastacio,  driving  his  entire  following 
ahead  of  him,  sped  to  cover.  It  was  not 
twenty  minutes  before  they  heard  a  sharp 
volley  of  musketry,  and  if  their  breath  had 
not  been  short  they  would  have  laughed 
aloud  at  the  success  of  Roldan's  strategy. 
The  sky  was  turning  grey  as  they  reached 
the  straggling  outposts  of  the  forest  on 
the  mountain.  The  firing  had  ceased. 
Their  ruse  had  doubtless  been  discovered. 

"  We  will  hide  for  twenty-four  hours  and 
rest,"  Anastacio  said  to  Roldan,  who  was 
the  only  person  he  condescended  to  hold 


The  Valiant  Runaways    97 

converse  with,  although  he  allowed  Adan 
to  sun  himself  in  his  presence.  "  By  that 
time,  too,  I  shall  know  their  numbers.  If 
they  are  many  I  '11  draw  them  into  the 
mountains  and  fire  from  ambush.  If  few, 
they  shall  have  open  fight." 

"You  will  let  us  see  it?  "  asked  Roldan, 
eagerly.  "  Of  course  I  cannot  fight  my 
own  people ;  but  I  don't  want  to  be  sent 
to  the  pueblo,  and  I  do  want  to  see  a 

fight- 

Anastacio  hesitated.  "  Bueno,"  he  said, 
"  I  owe  you  much.  You  give  me  the  word 
of  the  California  don  that  unless  I  am 
killed  you  will  not  run  away?" 

"  I  promise.  There  is  nothing  else  to 
do.  That  is  to  say,  I  promise  not  to  run 
away  before  the  battle  is  over." 

"  That  is  what  I  mean,"  said  Anastacio, 
curtly.  "  Now  we  will  sleep." 

He  disposed  his  men  in  the  forest  above 
a  narrow,  rocky  canon  into  which  the 
enemy  would  hardly  venture.  Roldan 
volunteered  to  keep  watch  with  the  two 
sentinels,  and  returned  with  them  to  the 
outskirts  of  the  forest.  The  enemy  was 

7 


98     The  Valiant  Runaways 

marching  steadily  across  the  valley.  After 
a  time  they  halted,  and  lay  down  for  a 
time.  Early  in  the  afternoon  they  resumed 
march,  then  halted  again  within  a  mile  of 
the  mountain,  sending  two  scouts  ahead. 
By  this  time  Anastacio  had  joined  his 
sentinels,  and  all  four  hid  in  the  under- 
forest  between  the  great  trees. 

The  scouts,  keeping  as  much  under 
cover  as  was  possible,  crept  up  the  lower 
spur  of  the  mountain,  their  glance  describ 
ing  a  constant  half-circle.  When  they 
were  within  a  few  feet  of  the  fugitives, 
Anastacio  raised  his  bow  and  discharged 
two  arrows  in  rapid  succession.  One 
buried  itself  in  the  jugular  of  the  foremost 
scout,  and  he  huddled  down  among  the 
soft  leaves  without  a  cry.  The  other, 
equally  well  aimed,  entered  the  shoulder 
of  the  second  scout,  where  it  quivered  vio 
lently  for  a  few  seconds,  then  was  torn 
forth  and  flung  to  the  ground  with  a  cry 
of  defiance.  The  Californian,  disregard 
ing  his  wound,  raised  himself  to  his  full 
height  and  pointed  his  pistol.  But 
vaguely:  the  quiet,  feathery  young  red- 


The  Valiant  Runaways    99 

woods  told  no  tales.  Then  his  eye  fell 
upon  his  dead  brother.  He  turned  and 
fled. 

"  They  will  not  enter  the  forest,"  said 
Anastacio ;  "  and  when  I  am  ready  they 
will  fight,  not  before.  Have  you  pencil 
and  paper,  senor  ?  " 

Roldan  produced  a  treasured  note-book 
that  a  relative  had  brought  him  from 
Boston. 

;'  Write,"  said  the  chief;  and  he  dic 
tated  :  — 

SENOR  DON  CAPITAN,  —  At  noon  to-morrow 
we  fight  in  the  valley  near  the  eight  oak  trees 
and  the  two  madronos.  Do  you  wish  to  fight 
sooner  you  can  come  into  the  mountains.  It 
will  be  better  for  us.  ANASTACIO. 

He  tore  out  the  leaf,  crawled  down  the 
mountain  as  non-apparently  as  a  python, 
and  pinned  it  high  on  an  outstanding  red 
wood,  then  returned  and  told  his  sentinels 
to  sleep,  replacing  them  with  others. 


IX 


THAT  evening  Anastacio  called  Rol- 
dan  to  him. 

"  I  fear  treachery,"  he  said.  "  Who  can 
trust  five  hundred  men  that  have  learned 
too  much  ?  And  the  white  men,  they 
have  better  brains  than  mine.  I  watch 
to-night.  Will  you  watch  with  me,  senor  ? 
—  that  I  can  sleep  before  morning  and 
rest  for  the  fight." 

"  I  will,"  said  Roldan,  enthusiastically. 
"And  Adan  also?" 

"  It  matters  not." 

When  the  dusk  was  so  thick  in  the 
aisles  that  every  moving  frond  looked  like 
a  man  looming  suddenly,  one  of  the  sen 
tinels  returned  with  the  news  that  the 
paper  had  been  taken  from  the  tree,  and 
that  the  Californians  had  pitched  tents, 
and  to  all  appearance  were  at  rest  for  the 
night. 


The  Valiant  Runaways    101 

It  was  not  likely  that  the  enemy  would 
venture  into  the  forest  at  night.  They 
were  not  a  large  body,  they  were  not 
pressed  for  time,  nor  were  they  the  heroes 
of  many  wars.  The  Indians  were  com 
paratively  safe  until  morning ;  neverthe 
less,  Anastacio  was  too  good  a  general  to 
relax  vigilance.  When  night  came  he  and 
the  two  boys  went  down  the  mountain  and 
sent  the  outpost  back  to  sleep.  They 
ventured  out  where  the  trees  grew  far 
apart,  and  the  brilliant  stars  of  California 
illumined  the  great  valley  like  so  many 
thousand  watch-fires. 

The  three  sat  down  side  by  side,  their 
gaze  directed  steadily  downward  and  out 
ward. 

"Why  do  you  fight  at  all?"  asked 
Rolclan.  "  You  could  stay  in  these 
mountains  until  the  Californians  were 
dust,  and  not  be  caught." 

"And  live  like  hunted  beasts.  I  like 
the  valley;  the  sun  in  winter,  the  cool 
mountains  in  summer.  If  I  am  victor  to 
morrow,  all  the  Indians  in  California  will 
call  me  chief.  They  will  run  here  from 


io2     The  Valiant  Runaways 

every  Mission  and  hacienda,  and  from 
every  hill  and  mountain,  like  little  ones  to 
their  good  father;  and  we  will  drive  the 
priests  out  of  the  country,  and  make  the 
hidalgos,  the  caballeros,  the  soft  silk- 
dressed  donas  our  friends  or  our  slaves 
—  as  they  wish.  California  belongs  to  us. 
The  Great  Spirit  put  us  here,  not  the 
white  man.  If  it  was  for  them  why  did 
they  not  grow  out  of  the  earth  as  we  did  ? 
Why  were  we  put  here  at  all  if  our  land 
was  not  for  us?  We  were  happy  until 
these  priests  came  to  drive  us  mad  making 
boots  and  mud  bricks  and  wine  all  day, 
driven  like  dogs  to  the  kennel,  flogged 
when  we  wanted  to  lie  in  the  sun  — " 

"  But,  Anastacio,"  interrupted  Roldan, 
who  had  listened  to  this  strange  outburst 
with  the  vague  consciousness  that  the  soul 
of  an  expiring  race  had  opened  its  lips 
for  a  brief  moment,  "you  are  far  more 
clever  than  most  Indians.  If  it  were  not 
for  the  priests  you  would  be  no  better  than 
the  most  ignorant  of  them." 

"  If  I  am  clever  now,  seiior,  was  I  not 
clever  in  the  beginning?  You  do  not 


The  Valiant  Runaways     103 

make  cake  out  of  bran.  The  Great  Spirit 
sent  his  light  into  me  and  said :  '  Thou 
shalt  be  a  great  chief.'  I  could  have  done 
as  well  and  better  without  the  priests. 
What  good  did  it  do  me  to  read  and  tell 
my  beads  and  make  chocolate?  Was  I 
happy  at  the  Mission  ?  Not  for  one  moon, 
senor.  I  felt  as  if  I  had  a  wild  beast 
chained  in  me  that  choked  and  panted  for 
the  free  life  of  my  youth,  of  my  fathers. 
I  ran  away  from  the  Mission  twenty-three 
times  —  and  was  brought  back  and  flogged. 
Many  times  I  would  have  crushed  my  head 
with  a  stone  had  it  not  been  that  all  the 
other  Indians  of  the  Mission  ran  to  me  like 
dogs,  and  that  I  could  make  them  tremble 
with  a  word  and  obey  with  a  look.  I  knew 
that  the  Great  Spirit  had  given  me  what 
these  poor  creatures  had  not,  and  that  one 
day  I  would  give  California  to  them  again. 
It  has  begun." 

"  But  we  have  better  things  to  eat  and 
drink  and  more  comfortable  houses  and 
clothes  than  you  have  in  your  pueblos.  I 
like  what  the  priests  call  '  civilisation.'  " 

"  It  is  for  the  white  man,  not  for  the 


The  Valiant  Runaways 

Indian  with  a  skin  like  the  earth  and  a 
heart  like  the  wild-cat.  If  we  did  not 
know  of  fine  bread  and  thin  wine  and 
heavy  shoes  and  cursed  bags  about  our 
leers  we  should  not  want  them.  Padre 

o 

Flores  says  that  he  and  the  other  priests 
came  here  to  make  us  happy.  Why  not 
let  us  be  happy  in  our  own  way?  We 
needed  no  teaching." 

Years  after,  Roldan,  who  grew  to  know 
the  world  well  and  many  men,  recalled 
the  conversation  of  that  night,  and  medi 
tated  upon  the  strange  workings  of  the 
human  mind:  the  fundamental  philos 
ophy  of  life  differs  little  in  the  brain  of 
the  savage  and  the  brain  of  the  student- 
thinker. 

"  We  are  told  that  we  must  progress, 
grow  better,"  he  said. 

"  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  years 
Indians  lived  and  died  here  before  the 
priests  came.  All  legends  say  they  were 
happy.  Now  they  '  progress,'  and  suffer 
• — in  the  body  and  in  the  spirit.  One  life 
is  for  us,  another  for  you.  Should  the 
white  man  have  many  children  and  chil- 


The  Valiant  Runaways     105 

dren's  children  until  all  the  mountains 
and  valleys  of  California  are  his,  then  will 
all  the  Indians  die,  even  though  they  are 
treated  well  for  they  are  slaves  —  no  more. 
Are  they  happy?  For  what  were  they 
made  ?  To  be  slaves  and  die  from  the 
earth  before  they  are  threescore  and  ten, 
to  be  no  more  remembered  than  the  beasts 
of  the  field  ?  " 

"  I  hope  you  '11  win  to-morrow,"  cried 
Roldan,  his  young  mind  moved  to  pity, 
and  profoundly  disturbed.  "  You  can 
never  get  California  away  from  the  Span 
iard,  and  I  can't  wish  you  to ;  but  you 
might,  if  you  rallied  all  the  Indians  to  you, 
become  powerful  enough  to  live  in  the 
way  you  like  best,  and  I  hope  you  will. 
Why  should  men  say:  'I  am  better  than 
you;  I  will  make  you  like  myself? '  How 
do  we  know  ?  I  have  ridden  like  the 
wind,  and  coliared  a  bull  with  the  best 
vaquero  in  the  Californias,  but  I  am  afraid 
my  mind  has  had  fifteen  years  of  siesta. 
Now  —  well,  I  shall  be  governor  of  the 
Californias  one  day,  and  then  I  shall  send 
all  the  Indians  back  to  the  mountains." 


106     The  Valiant  Runaways 

Anastacio  put  out  his  hand,  and  the  two 
civilisations  decreed  by  Nature  to  stand 
apart  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of 
time  clasped  in  brief  friendship. 

"  I  will  be  your  friend,"  said  the  Indian, 
44  and  the  white  man  need  not  despise  the 
friendship  of  a  great  chief.  California  is 
a  fair  land.  Others  will  come  to  it  besides 
the  Spaniard.  If  Anastacio  has  thousands 
of  Indians  to  run  to  his  call  they  will  fight 
when  he  bids  them." 

"Caramba!  you  are  right,"  exclaimed 
Roldan.  "  Those  Americans  —  " 

"  American  boys  ?  "  asked  Adan,  eagerly. 

"  Now,"  said  Anastacio,  "  I  sleep.  Awake 
me  when  the  sky  turns  grey." 

He  stretched  himself  out  and  slept  at 
•once.  The  boys  drew  close  together  and 
speculated  upon  the  fateful  morrow.  They 
agreed  to  remain  close  together,  out  of 
sight  of  the  enemy,  but  where  they  could 
watch  the  Indian  forces.  If  Anastacio  fell 
they  would  flee  at  once. 


X 

THE  small  Calif ornian  force — it  num 
bered  little  over  two  hundred  men  — 
was  under  the  command  of  Juan  Pardo 
Mesa,  a  captain  notable  for  his  victorious 
encounters  with  Indians  and  for  his  knowl 
edge  of  their  cunning.  He  was  on  the 
alert  at  dawn  next  morning,  and  long  be 
fore  the  sun  had  spurned  the  tops  of  the 
Coast  range,  his  assumption  of  meditated 
treachery  was  confirmed.  A  rising  wind 
had  set  the  young  redwoods  in  motion. 
Before  long  the  practised  eye  of  Captain 
Mesa  saw  an  increased  agitation  among 
the  feathery  branches,  his  ear  caught  a 
slight  crackling.  His  men  were  flat  on 
the  ground.  He  stood  in  the  shadow 
of  a  large  oak.  A  moment  later  a  dusky 
form  crept  out  to  where  the  brush  grew 
more  sparsely,  hesitated  a  moment,  and 
apparently  passed  back  word  that  all  was 
well ;  he  was  immediately  followed  by 


108     The  Valiant  Runaways 

many  of  his  kind ;  and  the  lower  slope  of 
the  mountain,  burnt  bare  by  fire,  seemed 
suddenly  swarming  with  huge  black  rats. 

Mesa  waited  until  they  were  well  away 
from  cover,  then  gave  the  expected  order: 
two  hundred  muskets,  carbines,  and  flint 
lock  pistols  were  discharged,  and  one  piece 
of  artillery. 

But  Anastacio,  no  mean  general  himself, 
was  also  on  the  alert  for  the  unexpected. 
In  a  few  moments  he  had  marshalled  his 
forces  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square,  and 
ordered  them  to  discharge  their  arrows 
from  a  recumbent  position.  Owing  to 
the  heavy  shadows,  the  aim  of  the  Califor- 
nians  had  been  uncertain,  and  only  a  few 
of  the  Indians  had  fallen.  Roldan  and 
Adan  were  safe  behind  two  large  red 
woods  just  above  the  Indian  army. 

The  firing  continued  steadily  all  the 
morning,  but  resulted  in  few  mortal 
wounds.  There  was  not  a  poisoned 
arrow  in  the  pueblo.  The  balls  did 
more  serious  damage,  and  several  Indians 
rolled  groaning  down  the  slope.  The 
rest  were  undaunted.  They  were  more 


The  Valiant  Runaways     109 

than  two  to  one,  and  had  implicit  faith  in 
their  chiefs  assurance  that  they  were 
bound  to  rout  the  Spaniard. 

Under  cover  of  the  cloud  of  smoke  his 
weapons  had  raised  despite  a  strong  wind, 
Mesa  executed  two  flank  movements,  jus 
tifying  the  tactics  of  Anastacio:  he  de 
tached  forty  men  from  the  main  body  and 
directed  them  to  attack  the  Indians  on 
both  sides  and  to  cut  off  their  retreat  to 
the  forest.  They  were  almost  upon  the 
north  and  south  ends  of  Anastacio's  square 
—  after  making  a  detour  and  advancing 
from  a  distance  —  when  the  boys  shouted 
a  warning.  In  a  moment  arrows  were  fly 
ing  to  right  and  left;  and  the  answering 
volley  was  far  more  deadly  than  the  effects 
of  firing  up  hill.  The  Indians  stood  their 
ground,  fitting  their  arrows  with  swift  dex 
terity,  encouraged  by  Anastacio,  who  glided 
from  point  to  point  like  a  hungry  cobra, 
discharging  two  arrows  to  every  man's  one. 
His  only  hope  was  to  keep  the  Californians 
•  at  long  range  until  losses  compelled  the 
latter  to  retreat :  at  close  quarters  arrows 
would  be  no  match  for  firearms. 


iio     The  Valiant  Runaways 

The  battle  began  at  five  in  the  morning. 
It  was  at  four  in  the  afternoon  that  Roldan 
passed  his  hand  across  his  burning  eye 
balls,  then  gripped  Adan's  arm  and  said 
through  his  teeth, — 

"  Anastacio  is  hit.  I  saw  him  shake 
from  head  to  foot." 

"  Madre  de  dios  !     Shall  we  run  ?  " 

"  Not  yet.  My  brain  is  on  fire.  War 
is  awful,  and  yet  I  burn  to  have  a  pistol  in 
my  hands.  I  am  sorry  for  Anastacio  — 
but  Dios  de  mi  alma!  —  to  see  a  brave 
Spanish  officer  bite  the  dust  with  the 
arrow  of  a  dog  in  his  brain !  Ay,  he 
moves !  He  is  not  dead." 

"  His  hand  is  as  steady  —  but  —  do  you 
notice  ?  —  all  are  not  firing." 

"  The  arrows  are  giving  out.  There  is 
only  one  end.  But  I  must  see  it  through. 
Mary !  Mary  !  They  are  breaking." 

The  Indians,  finding  themselves  almost 
without  arrows,  had  sprung  to  their  feet, 
intending  to  make  a  rush  for  cover;  but 
Mesa  had  anticipated  this  move,  and  almost 
immediately  his  men  had  closed  with  the 
savages,  knocking  them  on  the  head  with 


The  Valiant  Runaways 


iii 


the  butt-end  of  their  muskets,  discharging 
their  pistols  at  short  range.  The  Indians 
used  both  tooth  and  nail,  yelling  like  wild 
cats.  The  cool  imperturbability  of  the 
earlier  part  of  the  day  had  fled  with  their 
arrows.  Anastacio  fought  like  a  tiger. 
Despite  his  wounded  thigh  he  stood 
firmly  on  his  feet,  snatched  the  musket 
from  a  man  his  hands  had  throttled,  and 
whirled  it  about  his  head,  threatening 
death  to  all  that  approached.  His  face 
was  swollen  with  passion,  his  eyes  were 
starting  from  their  sockets,  his  long  hair 
tossed  wildly.  The  boys  watched  him 
with  cold  extremities  and  hot  cheeks  and 
eyes.  They  were  oblivious  to  the  rest  of 
the  battlefield.  The  fate  of  the  indomit 
able  chief,  upon  whose  life  the  freedom 
of  a  race  perhaps  depended,  would  have 
riveted  the  attention  of  older  and  wiser 
brains.  His  movements  were  easy  to 
follow;  he  was  head  above  all  and  shoul 
ders  above  many. 

Suddenly  the  boys  gave  a  gasp.  The 
head  of  Anastacio  was  no  longer  to  be 
seen  above  that  surging  throng.  Had  he 


ii2     The  Valiant  Runaways 

been  wounded  in  a  vital  part  ?  A  moment 
later  they  gave  a  hoarse  gurgling  cry  and 
clung  together,  shaking  like  children  in 
icy  water.  The  head  of  Anastacio  rose 
again  —  above  the  crowd,  then  higher, — 
higher,  —  until  it  looked  down  upon  the 
squirming  mass  from  six  feet  above.  It 
was  on  the  end  of  a  pole. 


XI 


THE  boys  turned  and  fled,  scrambling 
blindly  upwards.  Instinctively  they 
ran  in  the  direction  of  the  pueblo,  and 
when  they  were  finally  obliged  to  sit  down 
and  fight  for  their  lost  breath  they  realised 
the  course  they  had  taken. 

The  horror  was  still  in  their  eyes,  but 
neither  spoke  of  what  for  a  long  while  to 
come  must  be  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

"  I  think  we  may  as  well  go  to  the 
pueblo,"  said  Roldan,  as  soon  as  he  could 
speak.  "  We  must  have  food,  and  we  are 
very  tired.  We  can  rest  there  a  few  days, 
then  take  two  of  the  horses  —  we  can  do 
nothing  without  horses  —  and  start  out 
again.  If  any  of  the  Indians  escape  and 
come  back,  they  will  not  have  spirit  enough 
left  to  touch  us." 

"Bueno,"  said  Adan.  "The  Mission 
blankets  are  there  and  they  are  soft,  and 

8 


ii4    The  Valiant  Runaways 

that  oven  makes  good  cakes.  I  hope  the 
Indians  go  all  with  the  soldiers.  I  never 
want  to  see  another." 

The  boys  resumed  their  flight,  but  more 
leisurely.  They  had  no  difficulty  in  keep 
ing  to  the  trail,  but  it  wound  over  many  a 
weary  mile.  Night  comes  early  in  the 
mountain  forest,  and  before  two  hours  had 
passed  they  were  groping  their  way  along 
the  narrow  road  cut  through  the  dense 
brush,  and  clinging  to  each  other.  They 
were  brave  lads ;  but  long  fasting,  and  ex 
citement,  and  a  terrible  climax  to  the  most 
trying  day  of  their  lives,  had  flung  gun 
powder  among  their  nerves. 

It  was  midnight  when  they  reached  the 
pueblo.  The  stars  illumined  fitfully  the 
deserted  huts,  black  in  the  heavy  shadows. 
A  coyote  was  yapping  dismally,  owls 
hooted  in  the  forest.  Both  boys  had  a 
vision  of  deep  beds  and  hot  suppers  on  the 
ranches  of  their  respective  parents,  but 
they  shut  their  teeth  and  raided  the  larder. 
There  they  found  well-cured  meats  and 
dried  fruits,  which  appeased  their  mighty 
appetites;  then  they  went  into  Anastacio's 


The  Valiant  Runaways     115 

hut,  and  wrapping  themselves  in  the  Mis 
sion  blankets  were  soon  asleep. 

It  was  Adan  who  awoke  Roldan  vio 
lently  in  the  morning. 

"  The  soldiers  !  "  he  whispered  hoarsely. 

Roldan,  rubbing  the  sleep  from  his  eyes, 
peered  through  a  rift  between  the  wall  of 
the  hut  and  the  shrunken  hide  which 
formed  the  door.  A  half  dozen  soldiers 
stood  in  the  plaza,  glancing  speculatively 
about. 

"  I  see  no  trace  of  them,"  said  one.  "  I 
cannot  believe  they  would  come  back  to 
this  place.  Surely  it  was,  as  I  said,  more 
natural  for  them  to  hide  at  the  edge  of  the 
forest  until  we  had  gone." 

"  That  dog  said  there  was  food  here,  and 
that  they  were  more  afraid  of  us  than  of  a 
long  walk  at  night.  Wherever  they  are, 
we  find  them.  They  are  a  prize  second 
only  to  the  head  of  Anastacio.  Search 
the  huts." 

Roldan  sprang  to  his  feet,  pulling  Adan 
with  him.  "  Come,"  he  said  ;  "  follow  me, 
and  run  as  if  you  were  as  lean  as  a  coyote. 
Remember  they  won't  shoot." 


116     The  Valiant  Runaways 

He  flung  aside  the  hide  door.  The  two 
boys  flashed  out  and  round  the  corner  of 
the  hut  before  the  tired  eyes  and  brains  of 
the  soldiers  had  time  to  grasp  the  happen 
ing.  A  moment  later  they  were  in  hot 
pursuit,  firing  in  the  air,  shouting  terrific 
threats.  But  the  rested  and  agile  legs  of 
the  boys  had  a  good  start,  and  plunged 
into  narrow  ways  where  horses  could  not 
follow;  and  doubling,  twisting,  following 
paths  but  recently  beaten  by  Anastacio  in 
pursuit  of  deer,  Roldan  and  Adan  were 
soon  far  beyond  the  reach  or  ken  of  the 
men  of  war.  It  was  an  hour,  however,  be 
fore  they  thought  it  wise  to  arrest  their 
flight  and  pause  to  recuperate  in  a  red 
wood  tree  hollowed  by  fire.  Two  weeks 
of  exposure  and  unwonted  exertions  had 
hardened  Adan's  superfluous  flesh,  and  he 
was  scarcely  more  spent  than  his  clean 
limbed  friend,  although  every  step  had 
been  taken  with  protest. 

"  Caramba ! "  he  said,  in  a  hoarse  whis 
per  at  length.  "  When  I  am  back  on  the 
rancho  I  won't  walk  for  a  year." 

"You  will  have  the  habit  by  that  time, 


The  Valiant  Runaways    117 

my  friend,  and  will  walk  in  your  sleep. 
When  I  am  governor  you  will  be  general 
issimo  of  all  the  forces  and  will  keep 
your  army  as  lively  as  an  ant-hill." 

"  That  is  too  long  ahead,  and  we  have 
not  enough  wind  to  argue  about  it.  What 
are  we  going  to  do  now  ?  How  shall  we 
get  horses  to  leave  this  forest?  Where 
shall  we  sleep  to-night?  What  shall  we 
have  for  dinner?  I  could  eat  a  whole  side 
of  venison." 

"  Well,  you  won't,  my  friend.  Let  me 
think." 

After  a  time  he  said:  "We  must  stay 
here  until  night.  Then  we  will  go  back 
to  the  pueblo  if  we  can  find  the  way.  As 
for  food,  we  can  have  none  to-day.  There 
are  no  berries  at  this  time  of  year,  and  we 
have  nothing  to  shoot  game  with.  Other 
people  have  gone  the  day  without  food, 
and  we  can.  When  we  get  back  to  the 
pueblo,  even  if  we  cannot  reach  the  larder, 
we  can  find  the  corral  without  being  seen. 
I  don't  believe  that  the  soldiers  have  found 
it,  and  the  Indians  in  charge  of  the  mus 
tangs  will  let  us  have  two  when  they  know 


ii8     The  Valiant    Runaways 

what  has  happened.  Now,  do  not  let  us 
talk.  It  will  make  us  more  hungry." 

Adan  groaned,  but  accepted  the  decree 
of  silence.  The  day  wore  on  to  noon,  and 
in  the  unbroken  stillness  the  boys  ventured 
out  of  the  grimy  tree  and  lay  at  full  length 
on  the  turf.  The  great  redwoods  towered 
in  endless  corridors,  their  straight  columns 
unbroken  by  branch  or  twig  for  a  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  Through  the  green  close 
arbours  above  came  an  occasional  rift  of 
sunshine,  but  the  aisles  were  full  of  cold 
green  light.  The  boys  shivered  in  their 
coyote  skin  coats  and  drew  close  together; 
they  dared  not  run  about  to  keep  warm  ; 
they  must  husband  their  strength,  and 
hunger  was  biting.  There  was  no  wind  in 
the  tree-tops,  no  murmur  of  creek,  only 
the  low  hum  of  the  forest,  that  in  their 
strained  ear-sense  grew  to  a  roar.  Finally 
they  fell  asleep,  and  it  was  dark  when 
Roldan  awoke.  He  shook  Adan. 

"  Come,"  he  said ;  and  his  partner, 
grumbling  but  acquiescent,  got  to  his  feet 
and  tramped  heavily  over  the  soft  ground. 

They  had  fled  beyond  paths,  and  Roldan 


The  Valiant  Runaways     119 

could  only  trust  to  his  locality  sense,  which 
he  knew  to  be  good.  But  more  than  once 
they  were  brought  to  halt  before  a  wall  of 
brush,  which  no  man  could  have  penetrated 
without  an  axe.  Then  they  would  feel 
their  way  along  its  irregular  bristling  side 
for  a  mile  or  more  before  it  thinned  suffi 
ciently  for  egress.  Frequently  they  heard 
the  deadly  rattle,  and  more  than  once  the 
near  cry  of  a  panther,  but  there  was  noth 
ing  to  do  but  push  on.  Precautions  would 
have  availed  them  nothing,  and  there  was 
no  refuge  nearer  than  the  pueblo.  Some 
times  they  walked  down  aisles  unchoked 
by  brush  but  full  of  moving  shadows,  above 
which  sounded  the  lonely  continuous  hoot 
ing  of  the  owl.  Now  and  again  bats 
whirred  past,  and  once  a  startled  wildcat 
scurried  across  the  path  and  darted  up  a 
tree,  crying  with  terror. 

"  If  we  only  don't  meet  a  bear,"  thought 
Roldan,  who  dared  not  speak  lest  his  voice 
should  shake  courage  and  terrors  apart. 

It  was  midnight  when  Adan  announced 
with  what  emphasis  was  left  in  him,  — 

"  We  are  lost." 


I2O     The  Valiant  Runaways 

Roldan  answered  through  his  teeth : 
44  Yes,  but  I  think  I  hear  the  creek.  When 
we  find  that,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  follow 
it  south." 

"  My  heart  is  in  the  South,"  muttered 
Adan.  "  We  might  follow  that." 

"  I  am  ashamed  of  you,"  said  Roldan, 
with  a  lofty  scorn  which  was  good  for  five 
words  and  no  more. 

It  was  a  half  hour  later  that  they  stood 
upon  the  high  bank  of  the  creek  and  looked 
gratefully  up  at  the  broad  strip  of  night 
light.  After  the  dense  shadows  of  the 
forest  the  cold  light  of  stars  seemed  more 
radiant  than  noon-day. 

"  We  cannot  follow  along  the  bank  for 
more  than  a  little  way  at  a  time,  on  ac 
count  of  the  ferns  and  brush,"  said  Roldan. 
"  We  should  walk  three  times  the  distance, 
and  perhaps  get  lost  again.  I  am  going 
to  wade.  Will  you  ?  " 

"  Madre  de  dios  !  And  get  rheumatism  ? 
My  teeth  clack  together  at  the  thought." 

"  You  will  not  be  able  to  keep  still  long 
enough  to  get  rheumatism,  my  friend.  By 
the  grace  of  Mary  we  shall  be  on  horse- 


The  Valiant  Runaways     121 

back  all  day  to-morrow.  The  water  is  not 
a  foot  deep,  and  the  chill  only  lasts  a 
moment.  Take  off  your  boots." 

"  What  is  left  of  them,"  muttered  Adan. 
But  they  were  better  than  no  boots,  and 
he  took  them  off,  and  slung  them  round 
his  neck.  Roldan  scrambled  down  the 
bank  and  plunged  into  the  creek.  Adan, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation,  followed  with 
audible  reluctance.  He  thrust  the  tip  of 
one  foot  into  the  icy  water,  withdrew  it 
with  a  shout,  tried  the  other;  then  seeing 
that  Roldan  was  splashing  far  ahead, 
jumped  in  with  both  feet  and  ran  along 
the  slippery  rocks,  wondering  when  the 
change  of  temperature  would  occur.  His 
teeth  clattered  loudly.  He  pulled  in  and 
executed  a  war-dance  on  the  stones,  then 
sat  down  on  a  fallen  boulder  and  rubbed 
his  feet  violently.  Roldan  kept  steadily 
on,  mindful  of  his  dignity  as  leader;  but 
only  as  Adan  joined  him  had  his  teeth 
ceased  from  clattering  and  the  warmth 
crawled  back  to  his  feet. 

Cold,  hungry,  inexpressibly  weary,  the 
boys  plodded  on,  sometimes  in  the  clear 


122     The  Valiant  Runaways 

light  of  stars,  sometimes  under  the  chill 
blackness  of  meeting  trees.  Fish  and 
other  slimy  things  darted  across  their  feet ; 
they  stepped  to  their  waists  into  more 
than  one  treacherous  pool.  The  dark 
blue  of  the  sky  had  turned  to  grey  when 
Roldan  raised  his  arm  and  pointed  to  a 
squat  dark  object  on  the  summit  of  the 
cliff. 

"A  hut,"  he  said.  "  We  are  at  the 
pueblo." 

The  boys  crawled  softly  up  the  almost 
perpendicular  bank  and  peered  over  the 
edge.  To  all  appearances  the  pueblo  was 
deserted.  If  the  soldiers  were  there  — 
and  their  horses  were  not  —  they  slept 
within  the  huts.  The  animal  instinct,  so 
bravely  repressed,  overcame  the  adventur 
ers.  They  ran  across  the  open  to  the  hut 
where  the  food  was  kept,  and  ate  for  fifteen 
minutes  without  speaking  or  taking  the 
trouble  to  hide  themselves. 


XII 

WHEN  they  had  satisfied  their  ap 
petites  they  made  two  large  pack 
ages  of  dried  meat  and  fruit,  tying  them 
securely  with  straw  to  their  right  arms: 
saddle-bags  there  were  none. 

"  Not  a  horse,"  whispered  Adan.  "  Do 
you  think  the  soldiers  have  gone  ? " 

"  I  think  they  are  lost,  and  as  they  did 
not  stop  to  tie  their  horses  when  they 
started  after  us,  they  won't  see  them  again 
until  they  get  back  to  camp.  Come." 

Roldan  peered  cautiously  into  each  of 
the  huts  in  turn  ;  all  were  empty.  Then 
the  boys  started  for  the  corral,  which  the 
soldiers  would  not  have  passed  either  on 
their  way  to  the  pueblo  or  in  pursuit  of  the 
runaways.  They  found  the  Indians  in 
charge  sound  asleep  in  their  hut,  and  did 
not  think  it  worth  while  to  awaken  them. 
The  two  mustangs  they  led  forth,  vicious 
brutes  at  best,  were  very  restless  from  pro- 


i  24    The  Valiant  Runaways 

longed  inactivity.  Roldan's  submitted  to 
the  saddle,  but  bolted  as  soon  as  he  felt 
a  determined  pair  of  legs  about  his  sides ; 
and  as  our  adventurer  had  neither  whip 
nor  spurs,  all  he  could  do  was  to  hang  on 
and  shout  to  Adan  to  follow  close.  This 
was  the  only  thing  that  Adan's  mustang 
was  willing  to  do,  and  the  boys  were  borne 
blindly  on,  down  one  path,  up  another, 
plunging  deeper  into  the  black  recesses  of 
the  forest  until  they  knew  no  more  of  their 
whereabouts  than  if  they  had  dropped  from 
another  sphere. 

After  many  weary  miles  the  mustangs 
slackened,  and  the  boys  dismounted  and 
cut  two  slender  but  stinging  whips.  After 
that  they  rose  once  more  to  the  proud 
supremacy  of  man  over  brute.  But  the 
situation  was  full  of  peril.  They  were 
hopelessly  lost,  the  redwoods  were  the 
home  of  the  grizzly  and  the  panther,  and 
they  might  come  upon  the  soldiers  at  any 
moment.  But  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  ride  on,  and  at  least  they  had  horses 
and  food. 

They  descended  whenever  descent  was 


The  Valiant  Runaways     125 

possible,  for  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
lay  the  open  valley ;  but  there  were  no 
trails;  in  all  likelihood  they  were  where 
no  man,  red  or  white,  had  ever  been  before ; 
they  had  to  force  their  way  where  the 
brusn  was  thinnest,  and  as  often  their 
flight  was  toward  loftier  heights. 

As  the  day  wore  on  the  temperature  fell, 
even  in  those  forest  depths  where  the  sun 
had  not  penetrated  for  a  thousand  years. 
The  beauty  of  the  forest  palled  upon  RoL 
dan:  those  everlasting  aisles  with  their 
grey  motionless  columns,  their  green  sin 
ister  light,  the  delicate  fern  wood  below, 
the  dense  mat  of  branch  and  leaf  so  high 
above.  The  redwoods  oppress  and  terrify 
when  they  have  man  completely  at  their 
mercy.  They  look  as  if  they  could  speak 
if  they  would,  roar  louder  than  the  storms 
that  have  never  shaken  them.  But  they 
know  the  value  of  silence,  and  the  silence 
of  their  inmost  depths  is  awful. 

After  many  hours  the  boys  rode  out 
upon  a  bare  peak.  But  its  outlook  told 
them  nothing.  Behind  rose  other  peaks, 
below  was  the  dense  primeval  forest,  rising 


126     The  Valiant  Runaways 

and  falling  on  other  slopes.  There  was 
no  glimpse  of  valley  anywhere.  The  sky 
was  heavy  with  the  grey  lurid  clouds  of 
concentrated  storm. 

"We  will  eat,"  said  Roldan,  briefly; 
44  but  not  too  much." 

They  tethered  the  mustangs  that  the 
beasts  might  eat  of  the  abundant  grass, 
and  consumed  a  small  quantity  of  their 
store.  Then  they  stretched  at  full  length 
on  the  ground  to  rest  their  weary  bodies. 

"  Let  us  stay  here  the  night,"  said  Adan, 
with  a  cavernous  yawn. 

44  It  is  hardly  darker  by  night  than  by 
day  in  the  forest,  but  perhaps  it  is  well  to 
rest." 

44 1  am  one  ache,  no  more,"  murmured 
Adan,  and  went  to  sleep. 

Roldan  pillowed  his  head  on  his  arm 
and  for  once  followed  lead.  He  awoke 
suddenly,  his  face  wet  and  stinging 
White  stars  were  whirling,  the  ground 
was  white,  the  forest  was  half  obliterated. 

He  shook  Adan  and  dragged  him  to  his 
feet. 

44  We   must   get    into  the   redwoods   at 


The  Valiant  Runaways     127 

once,"  he  said.  "  We  shall  be  buried 
here." 

Adan  gasped  but  cinched  his  saddle ;  the 
boys  sprang  upon  the  now  tractable  mus 
tangs  and  plunged  into  the  forest  below. 
The  brush  was  thin,  and  they  pushed  their 
way  downward  as  rapidly  as  the  steep  de 
scent  would  permit.  Sometimes  the  forest 
protected  them  from  the  storm,  at  others 
the  trees  grew  wide  apart  and  the  riders 
were  exposed  to  its  pitiless  rush.  In  these 
open  spaces  they  could  see  nothing,  could 
only  push  blindly  on,  brushing  the  sting 
ing  particles  from  their  faces,  their  hands 
and  feet  almost  numb.  The  snow  in  the 
open  was  already  as  high  as  the  horses' 
knees.  There  was  no  wind,  only  that 
silent  sweeping  of  the  heavens.  In  the 
depths  the  high  branches  of  the  red 
woods  groaned  ominously  under  the  stiff 
ening  weight,  like  giants  in  pain. 

The  forest  thinned.  The  snow  had  its 
will  of  the  earth.  There  was  no  refuge 
under  the  larger  trees  that  still  stood,  like 
outposts,  here  and  there;  the  branches 
were  too  high  above.  Once  Adan  sug- 


128     The  Valiant  Runaways 

gested  through  his  stiff  lips  and  unruly 
teeth  that  they  turn  back  and  take  refuge 
in  some  dense  grove  above;  but  Roldan 
shook  his  head  peremptorily.  He  had 
heard  of  the  fearful  storms  of  the  Sierras; 
they  lasted  for  days,  and  the  snow  stood  its 
ground  for  weeks.  Their  only  hope  was 
the  valley. 

But  they  descended  only  to  rise  again  : 
in  the  white  darkness  of  the  storm  they 
dared  not  attempt  to  skirt  the  base  of  the 
peaks ;  they  must  keep  straight  on,  to  the 
west,  for  there  lay  the  valley. 

Occasionally,  where  a  grove  of  trees 
stood  close  and  the  snow  lay  shallow,  the 
boys  got  off  and  wrestled,  rousing  the 
blood  in  their  legs  and  arms ;  then  urged 
their  mustangs  to  greater  speed.  But  the 
poor  brutes  were  very  weary,  and  the  blood 
in  their  veins  was  almost  torpid.  Once 
they  stood  still  and  shook,  whinnying  piti 
fully.  A  huge  grizzly,  so  powdered  as  to 
be  hardly  distinguishable  from  the  drifts 
about  him,  floundered  along  to  the  right. 
The  boys  crossed  themselves  and  awaited 
their  fate,  with  the  apathy  of  numb  and 


The  Valiant  Runaways     129 

despairing  brains ;  but  the  monster  was 
evidently  aiming  for  the  warmth  of  his 
home,  and  took  no  notice  of  the  meal  in 
four  courses  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
path. 

The  night  deepened.  The  snow  thick 
ened  and  sped  clown  with  an  audible  rush, 
a  sting  in  each  beautiful  white  bee.  The 
boys  nodded,  roused  themselves,  fell  for 
ward,  their  arms  mechanically  stiffening 
about  the  horses'  necks.  Once  they  flung 
out  their  hands  and  feet  with  a  smothered 
shriek.  A  tongue  of  flame  seemed  to  leap 
down  their  throats  and  hiss  through  their 
veins,  while  the  world  roared  and  heaved 
about  them.  Then  all  sensation  was  over. 


XIII 

R  OLD  AN  opened  his  eyes.  His  brain 
was  heavy;  he  was  conscious  only 
of  an  intense  warmth.  His  arms  appeared 
to  be  bound  to  his  sides,  his  whole  body  in 
a  vise.  He  kicked  out  with  a  vigorous 
return  of  the  instinct  of  independence. 
The  action  shook  his  brain  free  and  he 
understood:  he  was  tightly  wrapped  in  a 
blanket,  and  there  were  other  blankets 
upon  him.  He  raised  his  head.  The 
room  was  one  of  familiar  lineaments, — 
whitewashed  walls,  a  mat  by  the  iron  bed, 
an  altar  in  the  corner,  linen  with  elaborate 
drawn- work  on  bureau  and  washstand. 
The  blood  poured  upward  to  the  young 
adventurer's  face.  Was  this  his  room  ? 
Had  he  been  ill  and  dreamed  strange  hap 
penings?  He  freed  his  arms  and  sat  up. 
No;  there  was  no  room  in  his  father's 
house  exactly  like  this,  monotonous  as 


The  Valiant  Runaways     131 

were   the   furnishing   and   architecture    of 
the  time. 

He  took  his  head  between  his  hands 
and  thought ;  the  events  of  the  past  weeks 
marched  through  his  brain  in  rapid  and 
precise  succession  —  up  to  a  certain  point : 
his  senses  had  been  frozen  in  the  Sierras. 
From  a  raging  snowstorm  to  this  blister 
ing  bed  all  was  blank. 

He  disencumbered  himself,  slipped  to 
the  floor,  and  opened  the  door,  then 
scrambled  back  to  bed  as  best  he  could; 
his  legs  felt  as  if  they  had  been  boned. 
He  was  also  one  vast  desire  for  food  and 
drink.  But  that  glimpse  through  the 
door  had  raised  his  spirits.  He  was  in  a 
great  adobe  house  surrounding  a  court  in 
which  a  fountain  splashed  among  ferns 
and  little  orange-trees.  It  was  the  house 
of  a  grandee,  but  there  was  none  like  it  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  Rancho  de  los 
Palos  Verdes. 

He  waited  with  what  patience  he  could 
muster  until  his  open  door  should  attract 
attention,  listening  to  the  murmur  of  the 
fountain,  inhaling  the  fragrance  of  orange 


132     The  Valiant  Runaways 

and    magnolia,    wondering    if    Adan,    too, 
were  safe,  angrily  resenting  his  weakness. 

The  door  cautiously  opened  wide,  and  a 
woman,  stout,  brown,  but  of  exceeding 
grace  and  elegance,  entered  and  bent  over 
him. 

"  Good-day,  seiiora,"  said  Roldan,  politely. 
"  I  am  very  hungry.  Where  am  I  ?  And 
is  Adan  here  ?  " 

The  lady  smiled  and  patted  his  cheek 
with  a  shapely  and  flashing  hand. 

"  He  is  well  and  sleeping,  my  son,  and 
you  are  both  in  the  Casa  of  Don  Tiburcio 
Carillo,  of  the  Rancho  Encarnarcion,  in 
a  great  valley  many,  many  leagues  from 
the  Sierras  and  the  snow — Mad  re  de 
dios !  Pobrecitos !  So  cold  you  must 
have  been,  so  frightened  —  and  you  the 
sons  of  great  rancheros,  no  ?  " 

Roldan  modestly  named  his  fortunate 
status,  then  sat  up  and  kissed  her  hand,  as 
he  had  seen  his  gallant  brothers  kiss  the 
hands  of  lovely  young  donas.  The  lady 
looked  much  pleased  and  drew  a  chair 
beside  the  bed.  Rolclan  wondered  if  he 
should  ever  satisfy  his  raging  appetite,  but 


The  Valiant  Runaways     133 

was  too  polite  to  mention  the  subject 
again,  and  determined  to  satisfy  his  curi 
osity  instead. 

"  Senora,  tell  me  how  we  came  here,"  he 
asked.  "  My  head  will  burst  until  I  know." 

"  Our  bell  mare,  the  most  valuable  on 
our  rancho,  strayed  far  the  day  before  yes 
terday.  All  that  day  and  the  next  six 
vaqueros  looked  for  her.  One  traced  her 
to  the  Sierras  and  went  on  in  spite  of  the 
storm.  He  found  her,  and,  just  afterward 
—  you.  He  thought  you  were  dead,  but 
poured  arguardiente  down  your  throats. 
You  swallowed  but  did  not  awaken, 
although  he  shook  you  and  pounded  you. 
Then  he  strapped  your  friend  —  Adan,  no  ? 
upon  the  back  of  Lolita,  took  you  in  his 
arms,  and  galloped  for  home  —  you  were 
almost  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Ay! 
but  I  was  frightened  when  you  came. 
Gracias  a  dios  that  you  are  well  and  not 
frozen.  Bueno,  I  go  to  send  you  a  good 
breakfast.  Hasta  luego." 

She  went  out,  and  Roldan  lay  wonder 
ing  if  the  breakfast  were  already  cooked. 
The  door  opened  again.  Roldan  sat  up. 


134     The  Valiant  Runaways 

But  it  was  Adan.  He  wore  a  long  night 
gown  and  dug  his  knuckles  into  his  eyes. 
His  knees,  too,  were  shaky. 

"  Hist,  Roldan,"  he  whispered  loudly. 
"  Are  you  there,  or  do  I  dream  ?  " 

"  Come  into  my  bed  and  have  breakfast 
—  breakfast,  Adan  !  " 

Adan  gathered  his  remaining  energies, 
bolted  across  the  room,  and  climbed  into 
bed. 

"  Dios  de  mi  alma,  Roldan,"  he  gasped- 
"  Where  are  we,  and  why  are  we  sweltered 
like  sick  babies  ?  This  is  a  fine  place. 
Ay !  may  I  never  see  snow  nor  a  redwood 
again ! " 

Roldan  told  what  he  knew  of  the  begin 
ning  of  their  new  chapter,  and  soon  after  he 
finished  two  Indian  servants  entered  with 
trays,  set  them  on  the  bed,  and  retired. 

"  Ay  !  this  looks  like  home,"  cried  Adan, 
almost  in  tears.  "Chocolate!  Tortillas! 
Chicken  with  yellow  rice  ! "  He  crossed 
himself  fervently  and  attacked  the  fragrant 
meal. 

It  was  not  a  large  breakfast,  for  it  was 
many  hours  since  they  had  eaten  before ; 


The  Valiant  Runaways     135 

they  left  not  a  grain  of  rice  nor  a  shred  on 
a  bone.  But  half-satisfied,  although  very 
comfortable,  they  made  up  their  minds  to 
dress.  On  the  chair  was  a  complete  out 
fit,  suitable  for  a  young  don.  Roldan 
concluded  it  had  been  thoughtfully  placed 
at  his  disposal  that  he  might  not  appear 
in  the  sala  of  Casa  Carillo  garbed  like  a 
coyote.  How  he  hated  the  memory  of 
that  ugly  and  infested  garment. 

"  I,  too,  have  a  silk  jacket  and  breeches 
by  my  bed,"  said  Adan,  "  and  a  lace  shirt 
and  silk  stockings,  and  shoes  with  buckles. 
There  must  be  those  of  our  age  in  the 
Casa  Carillo,  my  friend.  Bueno !  I  go  to 
make  a  caballero  of  myself.  Hasta  luego." 

He  opened  the  door  and  peered  out, 
then  ran  hastily  down  the  corridor  to  his 
room.  Who  knew  but  there  might  be  girls 
at  the  Casa  Carillo?  Horrible  thought! 

The  boys  met  a  half  hour  later  on  the 
corridor,  still  weak,  but  magnificent  to 
look  upon.  Roldan's  head  was  very  high, 
despite  his  protesting  knees :  he  felt  him 
self  again. 

"  It  is  the  hour  of  siesta,"  he  said.     "  Let 


136     The  Valiant  Runaways 

us  lie  in  these  hammocks  and  wait.  Ay ! 
but  it  is  warm,  and  the  sky  is  blue,  and 
the  sun  looks  like  the  copper  lamp  of  my 
mother  —  the  one  that  came  from  Boston. 
Who  —  even  an  Indian  —  would  live  in 
the  mountains  when  the  valleys  are  so  big 
and  warm  ? " 

They  extended  themselves  in  two  ham 
mocks  swung  across  the  corridor  and 
watched  the  many  doors  on  the  several 
sides  of  the  court.  All  were  closed,  and 
the  forest  had  hardly  been  more  quiet  than 
the  Casa  Carillo  in  its  hour  of  siesta. 
Through  the  arch  of  the  gateway  they 
could  see  the  green  of  fields,  a  corner  of  a 
vineyard,  and  rolling  hills.  On  either  side 
of  the  entrance  was  a  large  magnolia-tree 
with  broad  shining  leaves  and  bunches  of 
cream-white  fragrance.  The  oranges  were 

o  o 

very  yellow,  the  palms  very  stately,  the 
red  tiles  on  the  sloping  roofs  above  the 
white  walls  looked  very  fresh  and  red. 
There  was  colour  and  beauty  everywhere  ; 
and  the  boys  were  quite  at  peace,  and  con 
tent  to  be  so.  Their  appetite  for  adven 
ture  was  dulled  for  the  moment. 


XIV 

A  DO  OR  on  the  opposite  corridor 
opened  and  a  youth  came  forth. 
He  jerked  his  head  diffidently  at  the 
guests  and  took  the  longest  way  round 
instead  of  crossing  the  court ;  but  when  he 
reached  the  boys,  who  were  risen  and 
awaiting  him,  he  wore  a  dignified  air  of 
welcome,  as  befitted  a  young  gentleman 
of  his  race. 

"  Welcome  to  Casa  Carillo,  senors,"  he 
said  gravely.  "  The  house  is  yours.  Burn 
it  if  you  will.  I,  myself,  Rafael  Carillo,  am 
your  slave." 

To  which  Roldan  replied :  "  We  are  at 
your  feet,  for  you  and  yours  have  rescued 
us  from  death  and  given  us  food  and  cloth 
ing  when  we  most  needed  it.  Our  lives 
are  yours  to  do  with  as  you  wish." 

"  Then  would  we  keep  you  here  always, 
Don  Roldan  and  Don  Adan.  All  guests 


138      The  Valiant  Runaways 

are  welcome  at  Casa  Carillo,  but  doubly 
those  that  need  it." 

Then,  formalities  over,  as  boys  are 
pretty  much  alike  the  world  round,  Rafael 
was  soon  pouring  forth  eager  questions, 
and  our  heroes  were  reliving  the  events  of 
the  past  weeks.  Arm  in  arm  they  strolled 
out  into  the  wide  beautiful  valley,  green 
with  sprouting  winter,  the  distant  moun 
tains  of  terrible  memory  quivering  under 
a  dark  blue  mist. 

"Hist!"  said  Rafael,  suddenly.  "Do 
you  know  what  day  this  is  ?  " 

"  Day  ?  "  The  adventurers  had  lost  all 
count  of  time. 

"  It  is  the  day  before  Christmas,  my 
friends." 

"  No !  Madre  de  dios !  "  Roldan  and 
Adan  stood  still.  For  a  moment  they  felt 
homesick.  They  saw  the  reproachful  faces 
of  their  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters,  to 
say  npthing  of  visions  of  unclaimed  pres 
ents.  But  Rafael  gave  them  no  time  for 
regrets.  He  was  the  only  child  at  home, 
and  delighted  with  his  new  companions. 

"  To-morrow  many  people   will   come,'* 


The  Valiant  Runaways     139 

he  said.  "  I  have  ten  married  sisters  and 
brothers.  They  all  come  from  their 
ranchos,  and  many  more.  It  will  be  very 
gay,  my  friends." 

"  Good,"  said  Rolclan,  dismissing  regret. 
"  We  will  enjoy." 

"  And  after  Christmas  is  gone  I  know 
of  something  else,"  said  Rafael,  myste 
riously.  He  glanced  about.  They  stood 
in  the  midst  of  a  great  vineyard,  each  en 
gaged  upon  a  large  purple  bunch.  "  Come," 
said  Rafael,  with  an  air  of  mystery.  "  Not 
here.  Some  one  may  hide  beneath  the 


vines." 


It  was  extremely  unlikely,  but  the  ad 
venturers  liked  the  suggestion  and  followed 
their  host  breathlessly  into  the  open  field. 
"  One  day  in  the  summer,"  whispered 
Rafael,  his  eyes  rolling  about,  "  I  went  with 
four  vaqueros  with  a  present  of  venison  to 
Father  Osuna.  He  was  not  at  the  Mis 
sion,  and  a  brother  told  us  that  he  walked 
among  the  hills.  I  thought  I  would  go  to 
meet  him  and  receive  his  blessing.  For  a 
time  I  saw  no  one,  and  I  thought,  '  Ca- 
ramba!  but  the  padre  has  long  legs  this 


140     The  Valiant  Runaways 

hot  weather!'  Just  then  he  stood  before 
me.  He  had  walked  out  of  the  side  of  the 
hill  through  a  hole  no  wider  than  himself. 
He  sweated  like  a  bull  after  collar,  and  his 
cassock  was  gathered  in  his  two  hands, 
leaving  his  bare  shanks  no  more  sacred 
than  an  Indian's.  He  did  not  look  like  a 
priest  at  all,  and  I  forgot  to  kneel  to  him, 
but  stared  with  my  mouth  open.  And 
what  do  you  think  he  did,  my  friends  ? 
He  turned  white  like  the  hand  of  a  doiia 
in  her  teens  and  —  and  —  dropped  his  cas 
sock.  And  —  " 

"Well?  well?" 

"What  do  you  think  rolled  to  the 
ground,  my  friends?  Chunks  of  yellow 
stuff  that  glittered,  and  a  shower  of  spark 
ling  yellow  sand  —  beautiful  as  sunshine 
on  the  floor.  I  gave  a  cry  and  ran  to  pick 
it  up.  I  had  never  seen  anything  so  beau 
tiful,  I  never  had  wanted  anything  so 
much.  I  felt  that  I  would  die  for  it  in 
that  moment,  my  friends.  But  that  priest, 
what  do  you  think  he  did?  He  gave  a 
yell  of  rage,  as  if  he  could  tear  me  in 
pieces,  and  flung  himself  all  over  that  sun- 


The  Valiant  Runaways      14.1 

shine  of  earth.  '  My  gold ! '  he  cried. 
1  Mine !  mine !  You  shall  not  take  it  from 
me/  *  If  it  is  yours  it  is  not  mine,  my 
father/  I  said,  feeling  ashamed,  —  though 
I  still  wanted  it;  'I  will  help  you  to  pick 
it  up/  He  got  up  then,  his  face  very  red 
again,  and  I  could  see  that  he  was  trying 
to  put  on  his  dignity  as  fast  as  he  had  put 
down  his  cassock  —  he  looked  better  with 
both  in  place.  '  My  son,'  he  said,  *  the  day 
is  warm  and  I  am  very  tired,  and,  I  fear,  a 
little  ill.  These  rocks  are  nothing.  They 
please  my  eye,  and  I  pick  them  up  some 
times  as  I  walk  among  the  hills.  Leave 
them  there.  I  do  not  want  them.  We 
will  return  to  the  Mission.'  '  If  you  do 
not  want  them,  then  may  I  have  them  ? '  I 
asked  —  the  blood  flew  all  over  my  body, 
my  friends.  He  scowled  as  if  I  had  asked 
him  for  the  candles  on  the  altar.  '  No,' 
he  said,  'you  cannot.'  Then  he  put  his 
big  hand  on  my  shoulder  —  he  could  twist 
your  neck  in  a  minute  with  those  hands  — 
'  Listen  to  me,  my  son,'  he  said,  very  soft, 
and  looking  so  kind  now,  you  can't  think. 
*  There  is  poison  in  those  stones,  pretty  as 


142     The  Valiant  Runaways 

they  are,  deadly  poison.  It  has  murdered 
millions  of  souls  and  hundreds  of  bodies. 
Therefore  I  will  not  let  you  touch  it  — 
only  a  priest  can  touch  it  without  ruining 
his  soul.  Therefore  I  forbid  you  —  I  for 
bid  you  — '  he  shouted  this  over  me,  'to 
tell  any  one  of  what  you  have  seen  to-day. 
Neither  your  father  nor  your  mother  —  no 
one.  Do  you  understand  ? '  I  saicl  '  Yes/ 
but  I  did  not  promise,  and  he  was  excited 
and  did  not  notice.  Then  he  dragged  me 
away,  and  I  looked  about  for  other  rocks 
that  glittered.  But  there  were  none  —  not 
anywhere.  And  then  I  knew  that  they 
had  come  out  of  the  hill ;  but  I  said  noth 
ing,  and  when  we  got  back  to  the  Mission 
and  had  had  dinner  and  he  was  himself 
again  and  would  have  spoken  alone  with 
me,  I  ran  and  got  on  my  horse,  and  all  the 
brothers  stood  on  the  corridor  to  see  me 
go.  He  came  up  to  me  and  blessed  me, 
and  whispered  :  4  Tell  no  one,  my  son.  If 
you  do'  —  and  he  gave  me  a  look  that  made 
my  hair  crackle  at  the  roots.  And  to  this 
clay  I  have  told  no  one.  Did  I  tell  my 
parents  the  priest  would  know  in  six 


The  Valiant  Runaways     143 

hours.     No  boy  has   stayed    here    that    I 
like.     But  now  —  " 

"  We  will  go  to  the  hill  and  see  for  our 
selves,"  said  Roldan,  promptly,  and  Aclan 
gasped  with  horror  and  delight. 

"  Ay,  I  knew  you  would.  I  am  brave, 
but  I  dared  not  go  myself  —  that  padre  is 
too  big.  I  wake  up  in  the  night  and  see 
his  hands  pawing  in  the  air.  But  three  of 
us  —  we  need  fear  no  one." 

"  We  will  go  as  soon  as  the  guests  are 
gone.  I  have  heard  of  this  '  gold.'  In 
Europe  —  I  have  an  uncle  who  has  trav 
elled  and  has  told  me  many  things  — 
bueno,  in  Europe,  they  make  it  into 
money  and  give  it  for  things  in  big  houses 
they  call  shops.  Even  here,  in  Monterey, 
and  perhaps  the  other  towns,  they  have  a 
little  —  it  comes  from  Mexico.  My  uncle 
said  that  one  reason  we  were  so  happy  was 
because  we  had  so  little  money  —  none  at 
all,  we  might  say.  That  we  got  what  we 
wanted  out  of  the  earth,  or  by  trading  with 
one  another  or  with  the  skippers  from  Bos 
ton,  who  are  glad  to  give  us  what  we  need 
from  other  lands  in  return  for  our  hides 


144     The  Valiant  Runaways 

and  tallow.  So,  if  we  find  this  '  gold ' 
perhaps  we  had  better  say  nothing  about 
it;  but  to  find  it  —  that  will  be  a  great,  a 
grand  adventure." 

"  We  '11  tell  if  we  find  it,"  said  Adan, 
philosophically. 

The  boys  concocted  a  plan  of  campaign 
to  their  satisfaction,  then  went  home  to 
supper.  Don  Tiburcio  and  his  wife,  Dona 
Martina,  were  already  seated  at  the  table 
in  the  big  bare  room.  The  grandee  was  a 
huge  man  with  a  soft  profile,  and  cheeks  as 
large  and  cream-hued  as  one  of  the  mag 
nolias  hanging  in  the  patio.  He  had  an 
expression  of  indolent  good-nature  above 
his  straight  mouth,  and  long  hands  that 
looked  lean  and  hard  when  they  closed 
suddenly.  He  was  a  man  of  much  influ 
ence  in  the  politics  of  his  country.  His 
small-clothes  were  of  dark  green  cloth  with 
large  silver  buttons,  the  lace  on  his  linen 
was  fine  and  abundant.  Dona  Martina 
wore  a  gown  of  stiff  flowered  silk  and  a 
profusion  of  topaz  ornaments.  As  the 
boys  entered  and  bowed  respectfully,  Don 
Tiburcio  eyed  them  keenly,  but  shook 
them  cordially  bv  the  hand. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     145 

"  So  you  are  the  son  of  Mateo  Casta- 
nada,"  he  said  to  Roldan.  "  It  is  evident 
enough,  although  you  have  something  in 
the  face  that  he  has  not.  Otherwise  I 
should  not  have  done  him  to  death  in 
more  than  one  political  battle.  Well,  my 
sons,  you  are  very  welcome,  and  the  longer 
you  stay  with  us  the  better.  The  officers 
passed  here  some  days  ago  —  Rafael  hid 
in  the  garret  for  the  two  days  I  feasted 
them,  and  they  do  not  know  that  I  have  a 
son  so  young.  Well,  you  are  in  good 
time  to  help  my  son  enjoy  his  Christmas." 

There  was  an  abundant  supper  of  meat 
with  hot  pepper-sauce,  tomatoes  and  eggs 
baked  together,  and  many  dulces.  The 
boys  wondered  if  dried  meat  and  coarse 
cakes  were  part  of  an  adventurous  dream. 

The  next  morning  chocolate  was  brought 
to  the  boys  at  half-past  five,  after  which 
they  dressed,  and  mounting  the  mustangs 
awaiting  their  pleasure  in  the  courtyard, 
went  off  for  a  morning  canter.  At  Rol- 
dan's  suggestion  they  reconnoitred  the 
hills  behind  the  Mission  and  got  the  bear 
ings  definitely  shaped  in  their  minds;  the 


10 


146     The  Valiant  Runaways 

great  raid  was  to  be  at  night.  They  re 
turned  to  a  big  breakfast  at  nine  o'clock, 
then  rode  out  again  to  meet  the  expected 
guests.  It  was  but  a  few  moments  before 
they  saw  several  cavalcades  approaching 
from  as  many  different  directions.  The 
young  men  and  women,  in  silken  clothes 
of  every  hue,  were  on  horses  caparisoned 
with  velvet,  carved  leather,  and  silver;  in 
many  instances  a  girl  had  proud  posses 
sion  of  the  saddle,  while  her  swain  bestrode 
the  anquera  behind,  his  arm  supporting 
her  waist.  Roldan  wondered  if  anything 
would  ever  induce  him  to  sacrifice  his  dig 
nity  like  that.  (It  may  be  remarked  here, 
as  this  history  has  only  to  do  with  the 
famous  Californian's  boyhood,  that  the 
day  came  when  he  could  bow  the  knee  to 
the  fair  sex  with  as  graceful  an  ardour  as 
did  he  not  employ  his  sterner  moments 
making  laws  and  enforcing  them.)  The 
older  folk  travelled  in  carretas,  the  con 
veyance  of  the  country,  a  springless  wagon 
set  on  wheels  cut  from  the  solid  thickness 
of  the  tree.  It  was  driven  by  garians,  sit 
ting  astride  the  mustangs  and  singing 


The  Valiant  Runaways     147 

lustily.  The  interior  was  lined  with  satin 
and  padded,  but  was  probably  uncomfort 
able  enough.  Everybody  looked  smiling 
and  happy,  and  a  number  of  lads  left  their 
respective  parties  and  cantered  over  to 
Rafael  and  his  guests.  A  few  moments 
later  they  all  galloped  at  the  top  speed  of 
their  much-enduring  mustangs  to  a  great 
clump  of  oaks,  where  they  dismounted 
and  listened  with  breathless  interest  to 
the  adventures  of  Roldan  and  Adan.  All 
had  been  drafted,  and  must  leave  for  bar 
racks  with  the  new  year.  They  com 
plimented  the  adventurers  in  a  curious 
mixture  of  stately  Spanish  and  eager 
youthfulness,  and  their  admiration  was  so 
apparent  that  our  heroes  would  have 
doubled  the  dangers  of  the  past  on  the 
spot. 

When  they  returned  home  to  dinner  the 
great  space  before  the  house  was  filled 
with  shining  horses  pawing  the  ground 
under  their  heavy  saddles.  The  court 
and  corridors  were  an  animated  scene, 
overflowing  with  dons  and  donas  in  bril 
liant  array.  When  dinner  was  over  and 


148      The  Valiant  Runaways 

the  grown-up  guests  and  young  girls  were 
lingering  over  the  Christmas  dulces,  all 
the  boys  slipped  away  and  went  out  to  the 
huge  kitchen,  where  countless  Indian  ser 
vants  were  busy  or  resting.  They  de 
manded  four  dozen  eggs  and  help  to  blow 
them  at  once.  The  maids  hastened  to  do 
the  bidding  of  the  little  dons,  and  in  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  eggs  were 
free  of  their  natural  contents,  and  all  were 
busy  refilling  them  with  flour,  or  cologne, 
or  scraps  of  gold  and  silver  paper.  Then 
the  boys  stuffed  the  fronts  of  their  shirts, 
their  sleeves,  and  their  pockets  with  the 
eggs,  and  hid  themselves  among  the  palms 
of  the  court.  Presently  the  guests  came 
forth  and  scattered  about  the  corridor, 
smiling  and  chatting  in  the  soft  subdued 

o  o 

!  .panish  way.  Suddenly  twelve  eggs, 
thrown  with  supple  wrist  and  aimed  with 
unfailing  dexterity,  flew  tli rough  the  air 
and  crashed  softly  on  the  backs  of  caba- 
lleros'  curls  and  donas'  braids,  flour  pow 
dering,  gold  and  silver  paper  glittering  on 
the  dense  blackness  of  those  California!! 
tresses,  cologne  shooting  down  dignified 


The  Valiant  Runaways     149 

spines.  There  was  a  chorus  of  shrieks, 
and  then,  as  every  head  whisked  about,  and 
as  a  blow  did  not  count  unless  it  struck 
at  the  back,  the  boys  ran  up  to  the  corri 
dors,  dodged  under  vengeful  arms  and 
continued  the  battle.  Finally  they  were 
chased  out  into  the  open,  and  the  guests 
having  been  provided  with  the  remaining 
eggs  by  Dona  Martina,  the  battle  waged 
fierce  and  hot  until,  exhausted,  the  guests 
retired  for  siesta. 

But  siesta  was  brief  that  day.  In  less 
than  an  hour's  time  all  had  reappeared 
and  were  mounting  for  the  race. 


XV 

THE  race  took  place  in  a  field  a  mile 
from  the  house,  on  a  straight  track. 
Four  vaqueros  in  black  velvet  small 
clothes  trimmed  with  silver,  spotless  linen, 
and  stiff  glazed  black  sombreros,  walked 
up  and  down,  leading  the  impatient  mus 
tangs.  Two  of  these  horses  were  a  beau 
tiful  bronze-gold  in  colour,  with  silver 
manes  and  tails,  a  breed  peculiar  to  the 
Californias;  one  was  black,  the  other  as 
white  as  crystal.  The  family  and  guests 
of  Casa  Carillo  sat  on  their  horses,  in  their 
carretas,  or  stood  just  outside  the  fence 
surrounding  the  field.  At  one  end  were 
the  several  hundred  Indians  employed  by 
Don  Tiburcio,  and  several  hundred  more 
from  the  Mission.  Father  Osuna  had 
also  joined  the  party  from  the  Casa,  and 
Roldaa  who  had  seen  hundreds  of  horse 
races  and  was  built  on  a  more  complex 
plan  than  his  contemporaries,  got  as  close 


The  Valiant  Runaways     151 

to  the  priest  as  he  dared  and  gave  him  his 
undivided  attention.  Padre  Osuna  was  a 
man  of  unusual  height  and  heaviness  of 
build.  His  black  eves  were  set  close  to 

J 

his  fine  Roman  nose.  The  mouth  was  so 
tightly  compressed  that  its  original  curves 
were  quite  destroyed,  and  the  intellectual 
development  of  the  brow  was  very  marked. 
His  hands  exerted  a  peculiar  fascination 
over  Roldan.  They  were  of  huge  size, 
even  for  so  big  a  man,  lean  and  knotted, 
with  square-tipped  fingers.  The  skin  on 
them  was  fine  and  brown :  it  looked  as 
-  jft  as  a  woman's.  He  used  them  a  good 
deal  when  talking,  and  not  ungracefully; 
but  they  seemed  to  claw  and  grasp  the 
air,  to  be  independent  of  the  arms  hidden 
in  the  voluminous  sleeves  of  the  smart 
brown  cassock.  Other  people  watched 
those  hands  too — they  seemed  to  poss  — 
a  magnetism  of  their  own ;  and  everv  one 

o 

showed  this  priest  great  deference :  he  was 
one  of  the  most  successful  disciplinarians 
in  the  Department  of  California,  a  bril 
liant  speaker,  an  able  adviser  in  matters 
of  state,  and  a  man  of  many  social  graces. 


152     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  More  agreeable  to  meet  in  the  sala  of 
the  Mission  than  in  a  cave  at  midnight/' 
thought  Roldan.  "Still  —  "  His  scent  for 
danger,  particularly  if  it  involved  a  match 
ing  of  wits,  was  very  keen. 

The  word  was  given.  The  race  began. 
The  dons  shouted,  the  lovely  faces  between 
the  bright  folds  of  the  rebosos  flushed  ex 
pectantly.  From  the  black  mass  of  Indians 
opposite  came  a  mighty  gurgle,  which  grad 
ually  broke  into  a  roar,  — 

"  The  black !     Fifty  hides  on  the  black  !  " 

"The  little  bronze!  She  is  a  length 
ahead!  Maclre  cle  dios!  Six  doubloons 
of  Mexico  on  the  little  bronze !  " 

The  priest  pushed  his  way  to  the 
speaker,  a  wealthy  ranchero  who  had  been 
more  than  once  to  Mexico. 

"  The  white  against  the  bronze,  senor," 
he  said.  "  Twenty  otter  skins  to  the  six 
doubloons  of  Mexico." 

"  Done,  your  reverence.  I  am  honoured 
that  you  bet  with  me.  But  the  white  — 
have  you  thought  well,  my  father?  " 

"She  breathes  well,  and  her  legs  are 
very  clean." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     153 

"  True,  my  father,  but  look  at  the 
muscles  of  the  little  bronze.  How  they 
swell !  And  the  fire  in  the  nostrils !  " 

"  True,  Don  Jaime  ;  and  if  she  wins,  the 
skins  are  yours." 

As  the  horses  darted  down  the  track 
almost  neck  to  neck,  the  excitement 
routed  Spanish  dignity.  The  dons  stood 
up  in  their  saddles,  shouting  and  betting 
furiously.  The  women  clapped  their  white 
idle  hands,  and  cheered,  and  bet  —  but 
with  less  recklessness :  a  small  jewel  or  a 
second-best  mantilla.  As  they  could  not 
remember  what  they  had  bet  when  the  ex 
citement  was  over,  these  debts  were  never 
paid ;  but  it  pleased  them  mightily  to 
make  their  little  wagers.  The  men  were 
betting  ranchitas,  horses,  cattle,  and,  finally, 
their  jewels  and  saddles  and  serapes.  For 
each  horse  represented  a  different  district 
of  the  Department,  and  there  was  much 
rivalry. 

The  priest  did  not  shout,  and  he  made 
no  more  bets,  but  his  eyes  never  left  those 
figures  speeding  like  arrows  from  the  bow, 
the  riders  motionless  as  if  but  the  effi- 


154     The  Valiant  Runaways 

gies  of  men  strapped  to  the  creatures  of 
fire  beneath.  Sometimes  the  black  gained, 
then  the  little  bronze;  once  the  white 
dashed  a  full  three  yards  beyond  his  fel 
lows,  and  Roldan  saw  the  great  hands  of 
the  priest,  which  had  been  clinched  against 
his  shoulders,  open  spasmodically,  then 
close  harder  than  ever  as  the  white  quickly 
dropped  back  again. 

It  was  a  very  close  race.  The  excite 
ment  grew  tense  and  painful.  Even  Rol 
dan  felt  it  finally,  and  forgot  the  priest. 
The  big  bronze  had  quite  dropped  out 
of  it  and  was  lagging  homeward,  hardly 
greeted  by  a  hiss.  The  others  were  almost 
neck  and  neck,  the  little  bronze  slightly  in 
the  lead.  "She  wins,"  thought  Roldan, 
"No!  No!  The  black!  the  black!  Ay, 
no,  the  bronze!  but  no!  no!  Ay!  Ay! 
Ay!"  A  roar  went  up  that  ended  in  a 
shriek.  The  black  had  won. 

Roldan  looked  at  the  priest.  His  skin 
was  livid,  his  nostrils  twitching.  But  his 
mouth  and  eyes  told  nothing. 

The  crowd  rode  home,  still  excited, 
gay,  cheerful.  Their  losses  mattered  not. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     155 

Were  not  their  acres  numbered  by  the 
hundred  thousand  ?  Did  they  not  have 
more  horses  and  cattle  than  they  would 
ever  count  ?  In  those  days  of  pleasure 
and  plenty,  of  luxury  and  unconsidered 
generosity,  a  rancho,  a  caponara  the  less, 
meant  a  loss  neither  to  be  felt  nor  re 
membered. 

After  the  bountiful  supper  the  guests 
loitered  for  a  time  in  the  courtyard,  then 
the  sala  was  cleared  and  the  dance  began. 
Several  of  the  girls  danced  alone,  while 
the  caballeros  clapped  and  shouted.  Then 
all  waltzed  or  took  part  in  their  only  square 
dance,  the  contradanza.  They  kept  it  up 
until  morning.  Needless  to  say,  our 
heroes  went  to  bed  at  an  early  hour. 

They  were  up  the  next  morning  with 
the  dawn,  and  in  company  with  Rafael  and 
the  other  guests  of  their  own  age,  went  for 
their  canter.  This  time  they  avoided  the 
hills  behind  the  Mission,  as  they  had  no 
wish  to  share  their  secret,  and  a  chance 
word  might  divulge  all.  They  rode  toward 
the  hills  at  the  head  of  the  valley.  Roldan 
was  still  the  hero  of  the  hour,  and  Rafael, 


156     The  Valiant  Runaways 

although  the  most  generous  of  boys,  re 
sented  it  a  little.  He  was  not  without 
ambitions  of  his  own,  and  determined  to 
seize  the  first  opportunity  to  remind  his 
companions  that  the  son  of  Don  Tiburcio 
Carillo,  the  greatest  ranchero  of  that  sec 
tion  of  the  Californias,  had  not  the  habit 
to  occupy  the  humble  position  of  tag- 
behind  even  to  so  brilliant  and  adventur 
ous  a  guest  as  Rolclan  Castaiiada. 

He  soon  found  his  opportunity. 

As  they  reached  the  first  hill  they  saw  a 
bull  feeding  on  its  summit.  "  Aha !  "  cried 
the  young  don  of  the  Rancho  Encarna- 
cion.  "  Now  I  will  make  for  you  a  little 
morning  entertainment,  my  friends.  Col- 
iar!  coliar!" 

"No!  no!  "cried  the  boys.  "The  hill 
is  too  steep.  It  is  like  the  side  of  a 
house.  You  will  break  your  neck,  my 
friend." 

Roldan  said :  "  It  is  dangerous,  but  it 
could  be  done." 

"  I  can  do  it,"  said  Rafael,  proudly, 
"and  I  shall." 

The  other  boys,  good  sportsmen  as  they 


The  Valiant  Runaways     157 

all  were,  shouted,  "  No !  no ! "  again ;  but 
Rafael  laughed  gaily,  and  forced  his  horse 
up  the  almost  perpendicular  declivity,  leis 
urely  unwinding  his  lariat  from  the  high 
pommel  of  his  saddle,  and  tossing  it  into 
big  snake-like  loops,  which  he  gathered 
one  by  one  into  his  hand,  the  last  about 
his  thumb.  The  bull  fed  on  unsuspecting, 
for  the  early  green  of  winter  was  very  de 
licious  after  eight  months  of  unrelenting 
sunshine.  When  Rafael  reached  the  sum 
mit  he  rode  back  for  some  distance,  then 
came  at  the  bull  full  charge,  yelling  like 
a  demon.  The  bull,  terrified  and  indig 
nant,  gave  a  mighty  snort  and  leaped  over 
the  brow  of  the  hill.  It  was  much  like 
descending  the  slightly  inclined  side  of  a 
cliff,  but  he  kept  his  footing.  The  boys 
held  their  breath  as  Rafael  rode  straight 
over  the  brow  in  the  wake  of  the  bull. 
With  one  hand  he  held  the  bridle  in  a 
tight  grip,  in  the  other  he  held  aloft  the 
coils  of  the  lariat.  It  looked  like  a  huge 
snake,  and  quivered  as  if  aware  that  it  was 
about  to  spring.  There  was  no  cheering; 
the  boys  were  too  much  alarmed.  A  mis- 


158      The  Valiant  Runaways 

step  and  there  would  be  a  hideous  heap 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

The  little  mustang  appeared  scarcely  to 
touch  the  uneven  surface  of  the  descent. 
He  looked  as  if  galloping  in  air,  and 
tossed  his  head  fiercely  as  though  to  shake 
the  rising  sun  out  of  his  eyes.  The  bull 
seemed  continually  gathering  himself  for 
a  great  leap,  his  clumsy  bulk  heaving  from 
side  to  side.  But  a  quarter  of  the  distance 
had  been  traversed  when  the  great  curves 
of  the  lasso  sprang  forward,  and,  amidst  a 
hoarse  murmur  from  the  boys,  caught  the 
bull  below  the  horns.  But  that  was  all. 
The  bull  would  not  down  !  There  would 
be  no  coliar!  He  merely  ran  on  —  the 
brute!  the  beast!  —  jerking  his  horns 
defiantly,  putting  down  his  head,  nearly 
dragging  Rafael  from  the  saddle.  But 
no  !  but  no !  Rafael  has  risen  in  his  saddle, 
he  has  forced  his  mustang  the  harder,  he 
is  almost  level  with  the  bull  —  he  has 
passed !  He  gives  a  great  jerk,  dragging 
the  bull  to  his  knees,  then  another,  and 
the  bull  is  on  his  side  and  rolling  over  and 
over  down  the  hill,  Rafael  following  fast, 


The  Valiant  Runaways      159 

slackening  his  lariat.  The  boys  now  cheer 
wildly,  although  danger  is  not  over  —  yes, 
in  another  moment  it  is,  and  Rafael,  smil 
ing  complacently,  is  at  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
disengaging  the  humbled  bull. 

"  Bravo !  "  said  a  voice  from  behind  the 
horses.  All  turned  with  a  start.  It  was 
the  priest.  "  Coliar  was  never  better 
done,"  he  added  graciously;  and  Rafael 
felt  that  the  day  was  his. 

The  priest  had  ridden  up  unnoted  in 
the  tense  excitement  of  the  last  few  mo 
ments.  He  sat  a  big  powerful  horse,  and 
his  bearing  was  as  military  as  that  of  the 
two  great  generals  of  the  Californias,  Cas 
tro  and  Vallejo. 

As  the  boys,  congratulations  and  modest 
acknowledgement  over,  were  making  for 
home  and  breakfast,  the  priest  pressed  his 
horse  close  to  Roldan's.  "  I  interested 
you  much  at  the  race  yesterday,  Don 
Roldan,"  he  said,  with  a  good-humoured 
smile.  "Why  was  that?" 

Roldan  was  not  often  embarrassed,  but 
he  was  so  taken  aback  at  the  abrupt  sally 
he  forgot  to  be  flattered-that  the  priest  had 


160     The  Valiant  Runaways 

evidently  thought  it  worth  while  to  inquire 
his  name  ;  and  stammered  :  "  I  —  well,  you 
see,  my  father,  you  are  not  like  other 
priests."  Which  was  not  undiplomatic. 

The  priest  smiled,  this  time  with  a  faint 
flush  of  unmistakable  pleasure.  "  You  are 
right,  my  son,  I  am  not  as  other  priests  in 
this  wilderness.  Would  to  Heaven  I  were, 
or  —  " 

"  Or  that  you  were  in  Spain  ?  "  Roldan 
could  not  resist  saying,  then  caught  his 
breath  at  his  temerity. 

The  priest  turned  about  and  faced  him 
squarely.  "  Yes,"  he  said  deliberately, 
"  and  that  I  were  a  cardinal  of  Rome. 
Such  words  I  have  never  uttered  to  mortal 
before;  but  if  I  am  not  as  other  men, neither 
are  you  as  other  lads.  Some  day  you  will 
be  a  Castro  or  an  Alvarado;  it  is  written 
in  your  face.  Perhaps  something  more, 
for  changes  may  come  and  your  oppor 
tunities  be  greater.  But  I  —  I  am  no 
longer  young  ;  there  is  no  hope  in  Cali 
fornia  for  me." 

"  Why  do  you  not  return  to  Spain  ?  " 

"  I  have  written.    They  will  not  answer. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     161 

In  my  youth  I  was  wild.  They  forced 
me  to  come  here.  I  had  no  money.  I 
was  obliged  to  obey.  I  have  christianised 
a  few  hundred  worthless  savages  who  were 
better  off  in  their  barbarism,  and  I  have 
made  myself  a  power  among  a  few  thou 
sand  men  of  whom  the  outer  world,  the 
great  world,  knows  nothing.  My  Mission 
is  the  most  prosperous  in  the  Californias 
—  and  I  —  "  he  set  and  ground  his  teeth. 
Roldan  thought  of  the  gold.  "When 
I  am  governor  of  the  Californias,  my 
father,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  send  you  back  to 
Spain,  for  then  I  shall  have  great  influ 
ence —  and  much  o^old." 

£3 

At  the  last  word  the  priest's  eyes  flamed 
with  so  fierce  a  light  that  Roldan  shrank 
back  repelled,  feeling  himself  in  the  pres 
ence  of  a  passion  of  which  he  had  no 
knowledge.  But  the  priest  controlled  him 
self  at  once.  "  Thank  you,  my  son,"  he 
said  with  a  brilliant  smile.  "  And  I  do 
not  ask  you  to  guard  as  your  own  what  I 
have  said.  It  is  a  part  of  the  power  of 
such  natures  as  yours  that  you  know  what 
to  repeat  and  what  to  leave  unsaid."  Then 


1 62     The  Valiant  Runaways 

as  they  approached  the  house  he  suddenly 
took  Roldan's  slender  elegant  hand  in  one 
of  his  mighty  paws,  shook  it  heartily,  and 
flinging  his  bridle  to  a  vaquero,  sprang 
lightly  to  the  ground  and  entered  the 
courtyard,  leaving  our  hero  in  a  condition 
of  flattered  bewilderment. 


XVI 

THAT  day  there  was  to  be  a  grand 
rodeo,  or  "  round-up  : "  the  branding 
of  cattle ;  not  only  of  the  stock  belonging 
to  Don  Tiburcio,  but  of  many  of  his  neigh 
bours,  which  would  be  driven  over  to  his 
rancho  for  the  operation.  This  was  one 
of  the  great  occasions  of  the  year.  Im 
mediately  after  breakfast  the  neighbours 
began  to  arrive,  magnificently  mounted, 
sparkling  with  gold  and  silver  lace,  their 
wives  and  daughters  each  surrounded  by 
her  cavalcade.  About  ten  the  gorgeous 
company,  led  by  the  host,  started  for  an 
immense  corral  about  three  miles  from 
the  house.  The  boys  were  well  to  the 
front,  and  established  themselves  on  the 
wall  of  the  corral.  The  rest  of  the  party 
remained  on  their  horses,  but  mounted  the 
little  slopes.  The  green  winter  landscape 


164     The  Valiant  Runaways 

had  suddenly  become  a  blaze  of  colour, 
and  never  was  there  a  more  animated 
scene.  Over  all  hung  a  light  haze.  The 
distant  mountains,  which  could  be  seen 
from  the  outer  valley,  were  almost  invisi 
ble.  The  priest,  a  huge  brown  figure,  on 
his  big  brown  horse,  stood  on  the  very 
apex  of  the  highest  knoll. 

Presently,  from  various  directions  rose 
a  low  deep  murmur,  then  a  rumble  of 
growing  volume  as  of  an  approaching 
earthquake.  Men  and  women  grasped 
their  bridles  with  firmer  fingers,  and 
pressed  still  nearer  to  the  crests  of  the 
many  mounds.  Then  over  the  hills  on 
every  side  came  a  mass  of  tossing  horns 
and  sleek  shining  bodies,  separated  here 
and  there  by  a  shouting  vaquero,  whose 
black  and  silver  seemed  pierced  at  every 
point  by  those  white  curving  horns.  The 
cattle,  several  thousand  in  number,  trotted 
over  the  hills  and  toward  the  corral  swiftly, 
but  in  good  order,  held  well  in  check  by 
the  careful  vaqueros.  There  was  no  cheer 
ing,  for  excitement  was  to  be  avoided. 
The  cattle  would  stand  any  amount  of  the 


The  Valiant  Runaways      165 

shouting  they  were  used  to,  but  little  from 
unaccustomed  throats. 

In  the  corral,  at  its  farther  end,  stood, 
by  an  oven,  a  tall  muscular  Indian,  the 
most  famous  brander  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  He  was  stripped  to  the  waist, 
and  as  the  first  steer  was  driven  through 
the  narrow  gate,  he  plucked  a  red-hot 
iron  from  the  coals.  The  beast,  kicking 
and  bellowing,  was  flung  to  the  ground 
by  a  dexterous  twist  of  his  tail,  two  more 
Indians  held  him  in  position,  and  the 
branding  was  accomplished. 

Almost  before  he  was  up  another  was 
prostrate  ;  and  they  followed  each  other  in 
such  rapid  succession  that  the  wonder 
was  some  were  not  branded  twice.  As 
fast  as  each  brute  received  his  mark  he 
was  driven  out  of  another  gate  and  over 
the  hills,  lest  his  ill-nature  should  be  the 
cause  of  wild  disorder. 

The  vaqueros  handled  their  dangerous 
charges  with  admirable  skill,  keeping  those 
to  be  branded  in  groups  of  a  hundred  or 
more  at  some  distance  from  the  corral, 
riding  round  them  constantly  with  per- 


1 66     The  Valiant  Runaways 

emptory  shouts.  Other  vaqueros,  belong 
ing  to  the  same  herd,  segregated  the 
animals  immediately  required  and  drove 
them  in  a  straight  line  for  the  corral. 
There  was  not  a  moment  of  pause.  The 
vaqueros,  the  brander,  and  his  assistants 
seemed  impervious  to  fatigue ;  the  cattle, 
shifting  uneasily  in  their  bands,  leaped 
eagerly  from  the  lines  at  the  first  signal 
from  the  vaquero  bearing  down  on  them 
like  a  fury  from  the  corral.  On  the  far 
side,  otherwise  deserted,  the  sore  indig 
nant  beasts  scampered  as  fast  as  their  legs 
could  carry  them  whithersoever  their  va 
quero  chose  to  drive. 

After  two  hours  or  more,  the  atmos 
phere  was  charged  with  a  certain  breath 
less  excitement,  as  was  natural  enough. 
The  constant  cyclonic  rush  of  vaqueros 
and  cattle,  the  angry  bellowings,  the  in 
creasing  masses  of  animals,  the  furious 
shouts  of  the  men,  had  changed  a  peace 
able  landscape  into  a  vast  theatre  full  of 
tragic  possibilities.  The  waiting  cattle 
were  growing  more  and  more  restless,  and 
there  was  a  low  rumble  among  them. 


The  Valiant  Runaways      167 

Don  Tiburcio  motioned  to  his  guests  that 
it  was  time  to  leave  ;  moreover,  it  was  near- 
in<^  the  dinner  hour. 

o 

"  Rafael !  "  he  called.  His  son  turned 
his  head  impatiently,  but  prepared  to 
obey ;  the  California!!  youth  was  brought 
up  on  rigid  lines. 

"  Ay,  must  we  go  ?  "  cried  Adan.  "  I 
could  stand  here  till  night,  even  without 
dinner,  my  friends." 

"  I,  too,  am  sorry,"  began  Roldan.  "  But 
what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

The  great  masses  of  cattle  had  begun 
to  heave  suddenly.  They  were  uttering 
hoarse  growls  of  terror.  The  mustangs 
of  the  vaqueros  stood  suddenly  still,  quiv 
ering.  Then,  abruptly,  a  horrible  stillness 
fell.  All  things  breathing  seemed  to  pet 
rify.  But  only  for  numbered  seconds. 
From  beneath  came  a  low  roar,  gather 
ing  in  volume  like  the  progression  of  a 
tidal  wave;  then  the  world  heaved  and 
rocked. 

"  Temblor  !  temblor !  "  went  up  as  from 
one  mighty  horrified  throat.  The  priest 
shouted  to  the  boys :  "  Stay  where  you 


1 68     The  Valiant  Runaways 

are;"  to   Don  Tiburcio  and    his   guests: 
"  With  all  your  speed  after  me." 

They  understood  his  meaning.  The 
cattle  were  leaping  over  one  another, 
bellowing  madly,  giving  no  heed  to  the 
hoarse  cries  of  the  terrified  vaqueros.  In 
a  moment  a  blaze  of  colour  was  flying 
down  the  valley,  a  long  brown  arm  lifted 
high  above  it.  In  twenty  seconds  five 
thousand  tossing  horns  and  blazing  eyes 
and  heaving  flanks  were  in  pursuit. 

The  vaqueros  did  their  best,  although 
their  faces  were  white  and  their  lips  shak 
ing.  Three  that  were  between  the  unit 
ing  herds,  had  their  legs  crushed  into  their 
mustangs'  sides,  and  were  borne  along  and 
aloft,  shrieking  horribly,  adding  to  the  fury 
of  the  stampede.  Another,  trying  to  head 
the  cattle  off,  rode  into  a  sudden  split  in 
the  hard  adobe  soil  and  went  down  beneath 
those  iron  feet. 

The  boys  clung  together.  The  wall 
was  broad,  but  it  rocked  continuously, 
whether  from  other  shocks  or  from  the 
hoof-assaulted  earth  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  say.  A  curving  outer  flank 


The  Valiant  Runaways     169 

of  the  flying  mass  bulged  against  it,  and 
it  quivered  horribly  with  the  impact.  The 
boys  strained  their  eyes  after  the  retreat 
ing  points  of  colour.  Would  they  escape  ? 
Were  the  frightened  mustangs  fleeter  of 
foot  than  those  maddened  brutes?  And 
if  they  were  —  the  Casa! 

"I  think,"  said  Roldan,  "that  we  had 
better  get  down  on  the  other  side.  This 
wall  may  go  down  any  minute;  and  the 
cattle  are  all  looking  in  one  direction." 

"You  are  right,"  said  Rafael.  "This 
way  —  Ay  de  mi !  " 

There  was  another  heave  of  the  earth, 
distinct  from  the  steady  vibration  of  stam 
peding  cattle.  The  adobe  wall  rocked 
violently,  sprang,  twisted,  crumbled  to  the 
ground,  a  heap  of  dust. 

For  a  moment  the  boys  were  invisible. 
Then  they  emerged,  one  by  one,  choking 
and  spitting,  rubbing  their  eyes  with  their 
knuckles.  When  they  had  recovered  some 
measure  of  vision  they  huddled  together, 
staring  with  affrighted  eyes  at  the  mov 
ing  wall  of  cattle  not  twenty  yards  to  their 
left,  hardly  able  to  keep  their  balance. 


i  70     The  Valiant  Runaways 

Suddenly  Roldan  pulled  his  wits  to 
gether.  "Sit  down,"  he  said.  "We  are 
the  colour  now  of  the  earth.  If  we  keep 
quiet  and  look  no  taller  than  weeds  they 
will  not  see  us  and  we  shall  not  be  hurt." 

The  boys  dropped  to  the  ground  and  sat 
in  silence,  staring  ahead  of  them.  Would 
that  rushing,  heaving,  bellowing  mass  have 
no  end  ?  It  was  indeed  a  long  time  before 
the  last  line,  curiously  compact,  swept  by. 
Occasionally  the  earth  jumped  with  brief 
abruptness,  causing  hair  to  crackle  at  the 
roots,  and  dust-laden  as  it  was,  make  as  if 
to  rise  on  end.  The  squirrels  were  screech 
ing  in  the  trees.  The  birds  pitifully  twit 
tered.  Even  the  leaves  rustled  in  response 
to  those  terrible  quivers. 

The  cattle  were  a  red  streak  at  the  end 
of  the  perspective.  The  boys  rose,  shook 
themselves,  and  walked  heavily  to  their 
tethered  mustangs.  The  poor  beasts  were 
trembling  and  whinnying ;  they  greeted 
their  young  masters  with  a  quavering  neigh 
of  relief.  The  boys  mounted  ;  but  although 
they  rode  rapidly,  with  ever  increasing  im 
patience,  they  paused  every  few  moments 


The  Valiant  Runaways     171 

to  listen  ;  there  was  likely  to  be  a  return 
stampede  at  any  moment.  More  than 
once  they  were  obliged  to  swerve  suddenly 
aside  from  yawning  rifts,  and  they  passed 
a  spring  of  boiling  water,  spouting  and 
hissing  upward,  which  had  not  been  there 
in  the  morning.  They  were  too  frightened 
to  talk ;  not  only  the  paralysing  awe  of  the 
earthquake  was  upon  them,  but  the  least 
imaginative  saw  his  home  levelled  to  the 
ground,  his  relatives  and  friends  trodden 
down  into  the  cracking  earth.  Hills  lay 
between  them  and  the  Casa  Encarnacion. 

There  were  two  exits  from  the  valley 
where  the  branding  had  taken  place:  one, 
very  narrow,  to  the  right,  which  led 
directly  to  the  house,  the  other  straight 
ahead,  almost  as  broad  as  the  valley  itself. 
The  boys  saw  at  a  glance  that  pursued 
and  pursuers  had  taken  the  more  spacious 
way,  and  they  followed  without  consulta 
tion. 

The  crushed  grass  looked  like  green 
blood,  but  there  was  no  other  evidence  of 
slaughter;  the  mustangs  had  been  fleeter 
than  the  cattle.  The  latter  had  evidently 


172     The  Valiant  Runaways 

kept  well  together,  for  on  either  side  of  a 
swath  some  three  hundred  yards  in  width, 
the  grass  stood  high. 

They  were  in  a  wide  valley  now ;  they 
could  see  the  great  mountains,  still  faint 
under  their  vapourous  mist,  the  redwoods 
as  rigid  of  outline  as  if  the  heart  of  the 
world  beneath  had  never  changed  its 
measure.  Just  beyond  this  valley  was  a 
wood,  then  the  Mission.  Were  twenty 
thousand  hoofs  trampling  among  its 
ruins  ? 

They  left  the  valley,  entered  the  wood, 
galloped  down  its  narrow  path,  and 
emerged.  The  Mission  stood  on  its  pla 
teau  above  the  river,  as  serene  and  proud 
as  the  redwoods  on  the  mountain.  She 
had  held  her  own  against  many  earthquakes 
and  would  against  many  more.  But  there 
was  not  a  horn,  a  horse,  a  man,  nor  a 
woman  to  be  seen. 

The  boys  dismounted,  not  daring  to 
think.  They  walked  toward  the  build 
ings,  then  paused  to  listen.  Through  the 
open  doors  of  the  church  rolled  the  sono 
rous  tones  of  Padre  Osuna's  voice,  inton- 


The  Valiant  Runaways     173 

ing  mass.  The  boys  ran  forward  to  enter 
the  building.  They  paused  on  the  thresh 
old,  held  by  a  sight,  the  like  of  which  had 
never  been  seen  in  California  before,  and 
never  shall  be  again. 

Near  the  entrance  of  the  vast  building 
were  a  multitude  of  half-clothed  dusky 
forms,  prone.  Between  them  and  the 
altar  were  more  than  an  hundred  horses, 
caparisoned  with  silver  and  carved  leather, 
and  gay  aquera.  They  stood  as  if  petri 
fied.  On  them,  huddled  to  the  arching 
necks,  in  an  attitude  of  prostrate  devotion, 
were  magnificent  bunches  of  colour;  scarce 
an  outline  could  be  seen  of  the  proudly 
attired  men  and  women  who  had  fled 
before  a  tidal  wave  of  tossing  horns. 
Father  Osuna,  in  his  coarse  brown  woollen 
robes,  stood  before  the  altar,  chanting  the 
mass  of  thanksgiving.  The  church  blazed 
with  the  light  of  many  candles.  The  air 
was  thick  and  sweet  with  incense. 


XVII 

AFTER  the  mass  was  over  the  boys 
learned  the  sequel  of  the  morning's 
terrible  adventure.  Between  the  second 
valley  and  the  wood  the  cattle,  diverted  by 
one  of  those  mysterious  impulses  which 
govern  masses  of  all  grades  of  intelligence, 
had  deflected  suddenly  and  raced  for  the 
hills.  The  gay  company  was  much  shaken, 
but  somewhat  restored  by  the  calm  of  the 
church  and  the  solemn  monotonous  roll 
of  Father  Osuna's  voice.  They  cantered 
slowly  homeward,  and  crossed  themselves 
fervently  when  they  saw  the  Casa  Encar- 
nacion  none  the  worse  for  her  shaking, 
beyond  a  few  fallen  tiles.  After  dinner 
and  siesta  they  recovered  their  natural 
spirits,  and  the  men  and  boys  went  forth 
with  the  vaqueros  to  hunt  the  cattle. 
These  were  found  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  weary  and  humble.  Not  a 


The  Valiant  Runaways     175 

horn  was  tossed  in  defiance  at  the  volley 
of  abuse  hurled  upon  them,  and  they 
allowed  themselves  to  be  driven  to  the 
ranches  of  their  respective  owners  without 
a  protest. 

That  evening  the  household  and  guests 
of  Casa  Encarnacion  spent  in  music  and 
dancing ;  so  light  of  heart  and  careless  of 
mind  were  the  people  of  that  time  and 
country. 

A  number  of  cattle  had  been  trampled 
to  death  in  the  stampede,  and  the  bodies 
lay  within  a  few  miles  of  the  mountains. 
It  was  inevitable  that  bears  would  come  out 
to  eat  the  carcasses.  On  the  night  of  the 
day  of  terrifying  memory  no  one  felt  equal 
to  the  exertion  of  another  ten  mile  ride 
and  the  subsequent  battle  with  a  possible 
herd  of  bears.  But  at  eight  o'clock  orb 
the  following  night  Don  Tiburcio,  Padre 
Osuna,  the  boys,  some  ten  of  the  caba- 
lleros,  and  as  many  vaqueros  mounted 
and  rode  forth  for  a  good  night's  sport. 
The  moon  was  thin  and  low.  As  they 
approached  the  spot  where  the  first  of  the 
wild  band  had  succumbed  to  fatigue  they 


ij6     The  Valiant  Runaways 

saw  a  dark  object  moving  beside  the  car 
cass.  The  approach  was  stealthy,  but  the 
bear  suddenly  raised  his  head.  In  a  sec 
ond  five  or  six  lassos  had  sprung  through 
the  air.  One  caught  the  bear  —  a  brown 
bear  of  moderate  size  —  about  the  neck, 
another  about  a  hind  leg.  The  brute 
drew  his  legs  together  like  a  bucking 
horse  and  leaped  into  the  air,  then  plunged 
toward  his  tormentors  ;  but  those  that  had 
him  in  lasso  galloped  in  different  direc 
tions,  and  poor  bruin  was  quickly  strained 
and  strangled  to  death.  Two  vaqueros 
were  left  to  skin  him,  and  the  party  rode 
on.  In  a  very  few  moments  they  saw  a 
moving  group  some  distance  ahead.  Spur 
ring  their  mustangs  they  dashed  forward, 
letting  the  lassos  fly.  Now  the  sport  be 
came  truly  exciting  and  dangerous.  Some 
six  or  eight  brown  bears,  of  varying  sizes, 
growled  furiously  and  bounded  toward 
the  intruders.  Three  were  caught  in  the 
meshes  of  the  rope,  the  others  were  mak 
ing  straight  for  the  horses.  There  was  only 
one  thing  to  do.  The  men  put  spurs  and 
galloped  rapidly  away,  the  bears  plunging 


The  Valiant  Runaways     177 

heavily  in  pursuit.  When  the  men  had 
outdistanced  the  bears  by  a  hundred  yards 
or  more,  they  wheeled  suddenly  and  trotted 
back,  once  more  letting  fly  the  lasso. 
This  time  all  but  one  were  roped;  as  they 
kicked  in  fury,  their  hind  legs  were  caught 
by  the  lariats  held  in  reserve ;  and  there 
followed  a  scene  of  plunging  and  spring- 
ing,  galloping,  shouting,  growling ;  and 
neighing,  for  the  mustangs  were  fully 
alive  to  their  part. 

The  one  bear  at  liberty  rode  straight  for 
Roldan. 

He  had  hurled  his  lasso  with  the  rest, 
and  it  was  trailing.  He  jerked  about  and 
fled  for  a  mile  or  more,  holding  on  with 
his  legs  while  both  hands  were  occupied 
gathering  in  the  rope  and  coiling  it 
about  the  high  pommel  of  his  saddle. 
Then  he  turned  and  charged  full  at  the 
bear,  who  was  hot  in  pursuit  and  no  mean 
runner.  He  hurled  the  lariat.  It  fell 
short,  and  lay  quivering  on  the  ground 
like  a  huge  wounded  snake.  Roldan  gave 
an  exclamation,  of  surprise  as  much  as  of 
dismay:  he  was  an  expert  with  the  rope. 


12 


178     The  Valiant  Runaways 

He  turned,  however,  dragging  it  in.  It 
caught  about  the  mustang's  hind  legs. 
The  beast  went  down,  neighing  with 
horror.  Roldan  tried  to  jerk  him  to  his 
feet.  He  seemed  hopelessly  entangled. 
Roldan  extricated  himself,  knowing  that 
he  was  comparatively  safe,  as  bears  prefer 
horse-meat  to  man's.  He  had  no  sooner 
got  his  feet  free  of  the  boots  than  the 
mustang  leaped  to  his  feet  and  fled  like  a 
hare,  dragging  the  lariat  in  a  straight  line 
after  him. 

Roldan  was  alone,  the  bear  not  ten 
yards  away.  The  rest  of  his  party  were  a 
mile  and  more  behind.  No  one  appar 
ently  had  noticed  his  flight  with  the  soli 
tary  bear.  The  light  was  uncertain  and 
the  excitement  over  there  intense. 

Roldan  took  to  his  agile  young  heels. 
But  the  bear  gathered  himself  and  leaped, 
not  once  but  several  times.  There  was 
no  doubt  that  his  blood  was  up,  and  that 
he  meant  a  duel  to  the  death.  Roldan 
turned  with  a  catching  of  what  breath  was 
left  in  him.  He  mechanically  drew  his 
knife  from  its  pocket  and  flourished  it  at 


The  Valiant  Runaways     179 

the  advancing  bear.  Bruin  cared  as  little 
for  steel  as  for  rope.  He  came  on  with  a 
mighty  growl. 

Roldan  gave  one  rapid  glance  about. 
There  was  not  even  a  tree  in  sight.  From 
his  point  of  departure  an  object  seemed 
approaching,  but  it  was  too  dark  to  tell  as 
yet  whether  it  was  a  horseman  or  another 
bear.  The  brute  was  almost  on  him,  pant 
ing  mightily.  All  the  senses  between 
Roldan's  skeleton  and  his  skin  concen 
trated  in  the  determination  to  live.  He 
sprang  forward  and  plunged  his  long 
knife  into  the  protruding  injected  eye  of 
the  bear,  then  leaped  aside,  his  dripping 
knife  in  his  hand,  and  danced  about  the 
maddened  beast  with  the  agility  of  a 
modern  prize-fighter.  The  bear,  too, 
danced,  as  if  obsessed  by  some  infernal 
music  ;  and  the  skipping,  and  leaping,  and 
dodging,  and  waltzing  of  these  two  w^ould 
have  been  ludicrous  had  it  not  been  a 
matter  of  life  and  horrid  death.  Through 
it  all  Roldan  was  vaguely  conscious  of 
approaching  hoof  beats,  but  there  was  no 
room  in  his  consciousness  for  hope  or 


180     The  Valiant  Runaways 

despair.  He  was  not  even  aware  that  he 
was  panting  as  if  his  lungs  and  throat 
were  bursting,  nor  even  that  his  vision  was 
a  trifle  blurred  from  constant  and  rapid 
change  of  focus  and  surcharged  veins. 
But  he  executed  his  dance  of  life  as  un 
erringly  as  if  fresh  from  his  bed  and  bath. 
The  bear,  a  clumsy  creature  at  best,  and 
streaming  and  blinded  with  his  blood,  was 
slackening  a  little,  but  there  was  life  in 
him  yet,  and  twice  its  measure  of  ven 
geance.  Suddenly  he  lay  down,  but  be 
came  so  abruptly  inert  that  Roldan  was 
not  deceived.  Instead  of  putting  himself 
within  reach  of  those  waiting  arms  he  fled 
with  all  his  strength.  It  was  then  that  he 
knew  how  fully  that  strength  was  spent: 
his  lungs  and  legs  refused  to  work  with  his 
will  and  impulse  after  the  first  hundred 
yards,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground  with  a 
sensation  of  utter  indifference,  longing  only 
for  physical  rest.  He  heard  the  bear 
plunging  after,  the  loud  sound  of  a  horse's 
hoofs,  mingled  with  a  single  shout,  then 
gave  up  his  consciousness. 

He   awoke    in  a  few  moments.     Adan 


The  Valiant  Runaways     181 

was  bending  over  him,  propping  his  head. 
"  The  bear  ? "  he  demanded,  ashamed  of 
the  pitiful  quality  of  his  voice. 

"  I  came  just  in  time  to  rope  him," 
replied  Adan.  "  You  were  a  fool,  my 
friend,  to  go  off  alone  like  that  —  but  very 
brave,"  he  added  hastily,  knowing  that 
Roldan  did  not  like  criticism. 

"  You  are  quite  right.  And  this  is  the 
second  time  you  and  your  lariat  have 
saved  me.  Perhaps  it  may  be  the  other 
way  some  time." 

"  Likely  it  will  if  you  go  on  hunting  for 
adventures  as  the  old  women  hunt  for 
fleas  of  a  night.  Do  you  feel  able  to 
get  on  my  horse  ?  It  will  carry  the  two 
of  us." 

"  If  I  were  not  equal  to  that  much  I 
should  find  another  bear  and  go  to  sleep 
in  his  arms." 


XVIII 

AT  last  the  night  arrived  for  the 
gold  quest.  The  guests  had  gone. 
Roldan,  A'dan,  and  Rafael  were  alone  on 
their  side  of  the  great  house.  They 
waited,  kicking  their  heels  together  with 
leashed  impatience,  until  eleven  o'clock. 
The  family  and  servants  of  Casa  En- 
carnacion  went  to  bed  at  ten  o'clock,  but 
it  was  the  custom  of  Don  Tiburcio  to 
go  the  rounds  a  half  or  three  quarters 
of  an  hour  later  and  see  that  his  strict 
laws  were  as  strictly  obeyed.  To-night, 
when  he  opened  the  doors  of  the  three 
young  dons  in  succession,  heels  were 
still,  and  breathing  was  as  monotonous  as 
his  own  would  be  an  hour  later.  At 
eleven  the  boys  dressed  and  swung  from 
their  windows,  not  daring  to  leave  by  the 
courtyard.  Nor  did  they  dare  go  to  the 
corral  and  abstract  three  horses.  Much 


The  Valiant  Runaways     183 

to  their  distaste,  for  there  was  nothing  the 
California!!  hated  so  much  as  to  travel  on 
two  legs,  they  were  obliged  to  walk  the 
miles  between  the  Casa  and  the  hills.  But 
their  legs  were  young  and  their  brains 
eager;  in  little  over  an  hour  they  were  in 
sight  of  the  Mission. 

It  looked  very  white  and  ghostly  in  the 
pale  blaze  of  the  moon,  a  huge  mass,  full 
of  prayer  and  discontent.  Close  beside  it, 
but  without  the  walls,  the  Indians  slept  in 
the  rancheria,  quiescent  enough,  for  they 
had  no  Anastacio.  At  midnight  the  great 
bells  in  the  tower  had  rung  out,  filling  the 
valley  with  their  sweet  silver  clamour ;  but 
as  the  boys  approached  and  skirted  the 
wall,  some  distance  to  the  right,  the  Mis 
sion  might  have  been  as  lifeless  as  it  is 
this  year,  in  its  desertion  and  decay. 

The  hills  were  a  mile  behind.  The 
Mission,  like  all  of  its  kind,  stood  on  a 
broad  open,  that  no  hostile  tribe  might 
approach  unseen.  Cows  and  horses  lay 
in  their  first  heavy  sleep,  their  breathing 
hardly  ruffling  the  profound  stillness.  So 
great  an  air  of  repose  did  the  silent  walls 


184     The  Valiant  Runaways 

and  sleeping  beasts  give  to  the  landscape 
that  the  boys  felt  the  quiet  of  the  night  as 
they  had  not  done  in  the  other  valley,  and 
drew  closer  together,  almost  holding  their 
breath  lest  the  priests  might  hear  it.  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  later  they  were  among 
the  hills  and  standing  before  the  aperture 
whose  secrets  were  known  only  to  Padre 
Osuna.  They  glanced  at  each  other  out 
of  the  corners  of  their  eyes.  Brave  as 
they  were,  they  did  not  altogether  like  the 
idea  of  a  possible  encounter  with  a  rattle 
snake  or  a  bear  in  the  dark  and  narrow 
confines  of  a  cave.  And  if  there  should 
be  another  earthquake !  However,  they 
had  not  come  to  turn  back,  and  Roldan 
pushed  boldly  in,  the  others  following 
close. 

For  a  time  their  way  lay  along  a  narrow 
passage.  They  had  made  two  abrupt  turns 
before  they  dared  to  light  the  lantern  they 
had  brought.  When  Rafael  did,  it  revealed 
nothing  but  earthy  walls  and  the  imprint 
of  feet  on  the  ground.  After  a  little, 
however,  the  passage  suddenly  widened, 
and  it  was  Adan  who  uttered  the  first  ex- 


The  Valiant  Runaways     185 

clamation  of  surprise.  It  was,  indeed,  a 
hoarse  gurgle.  The  walls  were  veined 
with  what  appeared  to  be  irregular  bands 
of  dirty  crystal,  pricked  with  glittering 
yellow  There  were,  perhaps,  a  thousand 
of  these  little  points  bared  from  the  jealous 
earth,  and  they  shone  with  a  steady  baleful 
glare,  magnetising  six  youthful  eyes,  stir 
ring  in  three  careless  brains  the  ghosts  of 
ancient  gold-lust,  whose  concrete  substance 
lay  in  the  marble  vaults  of  Spain.  Im 
mediately  Roldan's  sympathy  went  out  to 
the  priest ;  and  he  knew  that  that  com 
manding  intelligence  could  teach  him  one 
thing  the  less. 

There  was  a  rough  pick  on  the  ground, 
and  many  junks  of  quartz.  Roldan  struck 
and  rubbed  two  pieces  together.  In  a 
moment  his  palm  was  filled  with  jagged 
pieces  of  yellow  metal.  He  blew  on  them 
lovingly,  then  put  them  in  his  pocket. 

"  Dios  de  mi  alma ! "  gasped  Rafael, 
whose  eyes  were  bulging  from  his  head. 
"  It  is  as  beautiful  as  the  stars  of  the  sky,  — 
the  stars  in  the  milky  way  with  the  film 
over  them." 


1 86     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  But  we  need  no  more  stars/'  said  Adan. 
"  We  shall  take  away  our  pockets  full,  but 
what  shall  we  do  with  it  ?  Surely  this  \v;i^ 
not  made  to  rot  with  the  earth.  But  it  is 
too  small  for  what  you  call  money,  if  that 
is  so  big  as  you  say,  Roldan.  It  would 
make  fine  nails  for  a  church  door." 

"  Now  is  not  the  time  to  think  what  you 
will  do  with  it,"  said  Roldan.  "It  is 
enough  that  we  have  it  to  get.  Much  is 
very  loose  in  the  crystal.  Rub  free  all 
that  you  can,  and  fill  every  pocket.  We 
will  take  all  we  can  carry  away,  and  come 
again  and  again.  Some  day,  when  we  are 
men,  perhaps,  we  will  find  a  use  for  it.  I 
for  one  do  not  believe  that  anything  that 
makes  you  love  it  can  do  harm.  Does 
not  the  Church  teach  us  to  love  all  things  ? 
Now  let  us  work  and  not  talk." 

The  boys  in  turn  hacked  out  great 
pieces  of  quartz  and  rubbed  the  free  gold 
loose.  Much  of  it  could  only  be  crushed 
out  in  machinery  made  for  the  purpose, 
but  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  quartz  was 
poor  and  soft.  As  the  boys  worked,  they 
grew  more  and  more  silent,  more  and  more 


The  Valiant  Runaways      187 

absorbed.  They  forgot  their  delight  in 
rodeo,  coliar,  bear-hunts,  bull-fights,  riding 
about  the  ranches  from  morning  till  noon, 
the  race,  the  religious  processions,  the 
dulces  of  their  mothers'  cooks.  A  new 
and  mighty  passion  possessed  them,  the 
strongest  they  had  ever  known.  Their 
lips  were  pressed  hard  together  —  those 
soft  Spanish  lips  that  were  usually  half 
apart  —  their  eyes  glowed  with  a  steady 
fire.  Their  chests  rose  and  fell  in  short 
regular  spasms. 

Suddenly  a  thrill  ran  through  Roldan. 
He  had  felt  it  before  when  a  rattlesnake, 
ready  to  strike,  had  fixed  its  green  malig 
nant  eyes  upon  him.  He  flashed  the  lan 
tern  about  swiftly,  twisting  his  neck  with 
deep  anxiety.  It  would  be  no  minor  ad 
venture  to  encounter  a  coiled  rattler  in 
this  narrow  place.  Then  he  saw  some 
thing  white  shining  out  of  the  darkness 
high  above  the  rays,  a  large  white  disk,  in 
which  glittered  two  points  of  light  inex 
pressibly  infuriate. 

Roldan  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  warn 
ing  cry.  The  other  boys,  greed  routed  by 


1 88     The  Valiant  Runaways 

the  danger  sense,  were  on  their  feet  as 
quickly.  As  the  three  lads,  none  very  tall 
for  his  age,  faced  the  gigantic  bulk  of  the 
priest,  they  looked  cornered  and  helpless. 

The  priest,  unconsciously  beyond  doubt, 
lifted  his  huge  hands,  opening  and  shutting 
them  slowly.  The  movement  had  an  ugly 
significance,  and  the  hands,  in  the  miser 
able  glimmer  of  light,  looked  like  great 
bats,  and  seemed  to  pervade  the  cavern. 
Involuntarily  the  boys  squirmed.  Then 
Roldan,  mindful  always  of  his  proud  posi 
tion  as  captain  of  his  small  band,  stepped 
in  front  of  that  band  and  spoke  with  a 
vocal  control  that  did  him  much  credit, 
considering  that  his  heart  seemed  to  be 
kicking  in  the  middle  of  his  stomach. 

"  These  hills  are  just  beyond  the  Mission 
grant,  Padre  Osuna,"  he  said.  "  Nor  are 
they  on  any  rancho.  Therefore  what  is  in 
them  is  as  much  ours  as  any  man's.  This 
is  the  first  time  that  we  have  been  here, 
but  it  will  not  be  the  last ;  and  when  I  am 
the  governor  of  all  the  Californias,  I  shall 
send  many  Indians  to  dig  the  very  heart 
out  of  these  hills.  So  pick  out  all  that 


The  Valiant  Runaways    189 

you  can  now,  Padre  Osuna,  for  ten  years 
hence  —  " 

As  he  spoke  fear  gave  place  to  exulta 
tion  in  finding  himself  pitted  against  a  man 
whom  he  intuitively  respected  more  than 
any  he  had  ever  met,  and  whom  he  knew 
most  men  feared  and  none  understood. 
Moreover,  he  heard  two  sets  of  teeth  clat 
tering  behind  him,  and  that  alone  would 
have  sent  the  blood  of  a  born  leader  of 
men  back  to  its  skin. 

But  his  speech  did  not  proceed  to  the 
finish.  The  priest  swooped  down  and 
caught  the  three  necks  between  his  hands, 
easily  spanning  them,  pressing  the  heads 
hard  together.  Then  he  lifted  the  boys 
high  in  the  air  and  held  them  there,  a 
kicking,  humiliated  trio.  The  blanched 
olive  of  his  face  was  reflected  in  the  pallid 
brows  at  the  extremity  of  his  rigid  arms. 
His  voice,  which  had  been  lost  in  passion, 
found  itself. 

"And  when  your  Indians  come,  Senor 
Don  Roldan,"  he  said,  "  they  will  find  three 
skeletons  six  feet  beneath  the  floor  of  this 
cave.  You  will  never  leave  this  cave,  not 


i  go     The  Valiant  Runaways 

one  of  you.  When  you  are  dead  for  want 
of  food  and  drink,  I  shall  return  and  bury 
you.  And  no  one  will  seek  you  here." 
Suddenly  he  dashed  them  to  the  ground. 
"  A  thousand  curses  go  with  you,"  he 
shrieked,  "  to  make  a  murderer  of  me.  I 
was  near  enough  to  hell  before  —  " 

"  And  our  fingers  will  scratch  the 
ground  beneath  your  feet/'  interrupted 
Roldan,  who  between  mortification  and 
rage  felt  equal  himself  to  murder,  but 
determined  as  ever  to  hold  his  own.  "  Our 
skulls  will  grin  at  you  from  every  corner 
as  you  work  —  " 

"  I  don't  care !  "  shouted  the  priest.  "  I 
don't  care !  Here  you  rot.  This  gold  is 
mine.  No  man  shall  touch  it  but  myself." 

"  But  if  we  promise  never  to  return,  and 
to  tell  no  man  of  what  we  know,"  inter 
posed  Rafael,  feebly. 

The  priest  laughed.  "  With  the  glitter 
of  gold  in  your  brains?  You  could  not 
keep  an  oath  on  the  cross."  He  turned 
swiftly  and  strode  down  the  passage. 

"  What  will  he  do  ?  "  gasped  Adan. 

"  Roll  a  stone  over  the  entrance   and 


The  Valiant  Runaways    191 

secure  it  with  others,"  said  Roldan.  "  There 
are  plenty  nigh.  If  we  follow,  he  will  beat 
us  back  with  those  fists,  and  one  blow 
would  crack  our  skulls  in  two." 

"  Then  what  shall  we  do  ?  Rot  here  ? 
Starve  to  death  ?  Madre  de  dios  !  " 

"  We  have  been  between  the  teeth  of 
death  before,  have  we  not?  We  shall 
have  many  more  adventures,  my  friends.'' 

But  although  he  spoke  confidently  he 
was  profoundly  disturbed.  This  was  no 
ordinary  predicament.  He  knew  that 
unless  the  priest  relented  they  stood  small 
chance  of  seeing  sun  and  stars  again. 
Would  he  relent  ?  Roldan's  own  indom 
itable  will  and  growing  ambitions  re 
sponded  to  the  awful  forces  in  the  man, 
overgrown  and  abnormal  as  they  had 
become.  That  the  priest  had  some  great 
end  in  view  to  which  this  gold  was  the 
means,  and  that  the  gold  itself  had  roused 
in  him  a  controlling  passion,  he  could  not 
doubt.  The  priest  himself  had  told  him 
something,  the  gold  the  rest.  With  a  sud 
den  impulse  of  hatred  Roldan  emptied  his 
pockets  of  the  metal  and  stamped  upon  it. 


1 92     The  Valiant    Runaways 

He  quieted  suddenly,  then  stamped  again, 
with  added  vigour.  Then  he  dropped  and 
laid  his  ear  to  the  ground. 

"Stamp,  Adan,"  he  said,  "and  hard." 
Adan  shook  his  blood  through  his  veins, 
and  obeyed.  Rolclan  sprang  to  his  feet. 
"  We  are  above  the  tunnel  of  the  Mis 
sion,"  he  said.  "  And  we  have  a  pickaxe. 
All  we  have  to  do  is  to  dig." 


XIX 

IT  was  three  hours  later  that  a  mass  of 
loosened  earth  caved  suddenly,  carry 
ing  Adan  with  it.  A  wild  yell  came 
back.  It  stopped  abruptly,  the  tag  end  of 
it  shot  forth  like  the  quick  last  blast  from 
a  trumpet. 

"Hi,  Adan!"  called  Roldan,  excitedly, 
peering  down  into  the  dark.  "  Are  you 
hurt  ?  " 

14 1  know  not !  I  know  not !  It  is  darker 
than  a  dungeon  of  a  Mission."  The  voice 
was  quite  distinct.  It  came  from  no  great 
depth. 

u  Get  out  of  the  way,"  called  Roldan.  "  I 
am  coming."  He  waited  a  moment,  then 
dropped,  falling  on  a  mass  of  soft  earth. 
Adan  had  prudently  retreated  a  few  steps. 
He  ran  forward  and  helped  Roldan  to  his 
feet,  just  as  Rafael  came  flying  down. 


194    The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  Now  for  the  other  end,"  said  Roldan. 
"  This  air  is  not  too  good.  And  that  devil 
may  return  any  moment." 

They  ran  down  the  tunnel.  It  was  wide 
and  high,  built  for  flying  priests,  should 
the  Mission  be  besieged  and  captured  by 
savage  tribes.  The  air  was  close  and 
heavy,  but  free  from  noxious  gases.  Bats 
whirred  past  and  rats  scampered  before 
them.  Roldan  paused  after  a  moment 
and  lit  his  lantern.  Its  thin  ray  leaped 
but  a  few  feet  ahead,  but  would  frighten 
away  any  wild  beast  of  the  forest  that 
might  have  wandered  in. 

The  tunnel  was  straight.  It  also  ap 
peared  to  be  endless. 

"  We  have  walked  twenty  leagues," 
groaned  Adan,  at  the  end  of  an  hour. 

u  Two,"  said  Roldan.  "  Without  doubt 
this  tunnel  ends  at  the  mountains,  and 
they  are  four  leagues  from  the  Mission. 
But  you  have  taken  longer  walks  than 
this,  my  friend.  Do  you  remember  that 
night  in  the  mountains?" 

"  I  had  forgotten  it  for  one  blessed 
week.  Rafael,  to  what  have  we  brought 


The  Valiant  Runaways 

you  ?  Your  poor  muscles  are  soft,  where 
ours  are  now  as  hard  as  a  deserter's  from 
an  American  barque  —  ay,  yi !  " 

u  If  they  have  but  the  chance  to  become 
soft  once  more  after  they  too  are  hard !  " 
muttered  Rafael,  who  was  panting  and 
lagging.  "That  priest !  that  priest !  " 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Roldan,  pausing 
abruptly.  "  You  will  not  dare  to  return 
home  at  present  —  nor  we.  It  is  flight  once 
more  —  to  Los  Angeles.  We  will  stay 
there — where  he  would  not  dare  touch  us 
if  he  came  —  until  he  repents  or  makes  sure 
that  we  will  have  told  if  we  intend  to  tell. 
Will  you  come?  " 

"  Will  I  ?  I  would  go  to  Mexico  if  I 
could.  I  feel  that  there  is  not  room  in  the 
Californias  for  those  hands  and  myself." 

"  I  will  take  care  of  you,"  said  Roldan, 
proudly,  anxious  to  rout  the  memory  of  his 
recent  humiliation.  "  But  come."  And 
Rafael,  too  weary  and  bewildered  to  resent 
the  authority  of  his  erst-while  rival,  trudged 
obediently  in  the  rear. 

"  It  grows  colder,"  said  Adan,  signifi 
cantly. 


196     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"Yes,"   said    Roldan.     "We    near    the 


mountains." 


Adan  stopped.  "  Is  it  the  mountains 
again?"  he  asked.  "If  it  is,  then  I,  for 
one,  prefer  the  priest." 

"  The  mountains  never  scared  you  half 
as  badly  as  the  priest  did,"  said  Roldan, 
cruelly.  "  And  to  say  nothing  of  the  fact 
that  we  need  never  get  lost  in  the  moun 
tains  again,  the  embrace  of  a  grizzly 
would  be  no  harder  and  more  death-sure 
than  one  in  the  great  arms  of  that  fiend 
that  wears  a  cassock." 

"  True.  You  are  always  right.  But 
promise  that  whatever  happens  you  will 
not  lead  us  into  the  Sierras." 

"  I  promise,"  said  Roldan,  much  flat 
tered  by  this  unconscious  tribute  to  his 
leadership. 

"  Do  you  think  that  priest  is  really  a 
devil?"  asked  Rafael,  in  an  awestruck 
voice. 

"  When  a  man  has  insulted  you,  you  do 
not  know  what  you  think  of  him,"  said 
Roldan,  flushing  hotly.  "  If  he  only  were 
not  a  priest  I  'd  fight  him,  big  as  he  is. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     197 

But  at  least  I  can  outwit  him.  It  consoles 
me  to  think  of  his  fury  when  he  goes  to 
the  cave  and  finds  us  gone." 

"  We  'd  better  get  out  of  this  tunnel 
before  we  talk  about  having  the  best  of 
the  priest,'*  said  Adan.  "  Suppose  he  re 
turns  to  kill  us  himself  —  " 

"  He  will  not  return  until  to-morrow. 
Then  he  will  have  repented.  He  will 
promise  to  let  us  go  free  if  we  keep  his 
secret.  But  he  will  not  have  that  satis 
faction,  my  friends.  Yesterday  he  had  a 
friend  in  Roldan  Castanada ;  I  would  have 
done  anything  for  him,  gladly  kept  his 
secret.  But  to-day  he  has  an  enemy  that 
he  will  do  well  to  fear.  A  Spaniard 
never  forgets  an  insult." 

"  What  shall  you  do  ?  "  asked  Rafael, 
eagerly.  "  Expose  him  ?  " 

"  No,  I  do  nothing  mean.  But  I  pro 
claim  at  Los  Angeles  that  gold  has  been 
discovered  in  the  Californias,  and  in  six 
days  the  hills  will  swarm,  and  the  priest  in 
his  cell  will  gnash  his  teeth." 

"  Ay !  "  exclaimed  Adan.  "  Do  you  fed 
that?" 


198     The  Valiant  Runaways 

An  icy  blast  swept  down  the  tunnel, 
roughening  skin  and  shortening  breath. 
A  few  moments  later  the  low  rhythm  as  of 
distant  water  came  to  their  ears.  Roldan 
and  Adan  recognised  that  familiar  music, 
and  set  their  teeth. 

"  And  I  prayed  that  I  might  never  see 
another  redwood,"  muttered  Adan,  cross 
ing  himself. 

The  tunnel  stopped  abruptly.  They 
stood  before  a  mass  of  brushwood,  piled 
thickly  to  keep  out  wild  beasts  and  delude 
the  searching  eye  of  hostile  Indians.  Be 
yond,  seen  in  patches,  was  a  dazzle  of 
white. 

"  Snow,  of  course,"  said  Adan,  with  a 
groan. 

The  boys  pulled  the  branches  apart 
without  much  difficulty:  the  priests  had 
studied  facility  of  egress  and  had  raised 
the  barrier  from  within.  In  a  few  mo 
ments  the  boys  stood  in  the  sunlight ; 
and  the  mountains  hemmed  them  in. 

Adan  stamped  his  foot  savagely  on  the 
hard  snow.  u  We  are  where  we  started  a 
week  ago,"  he  said.  "  No  more,  no  less." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     199 

"  No,"  said  Roldan,  who  also  had  felt 
demoralised  for  a  moment.  u  The  priests 
were  too  clever  for  that.  They  would 
want  to  get  into  the  shelter  of  the  moun 
tains,  no  more.  I  believe  that  from  the 
top  of  that  point  above  the  tunnel  we  can 
see  the  valley." 

"  Well,  we  can  at  least  look,"  said  Rafael, 
who  was  bitterly  weary  and  hungry,  but 
determined  not  to  be  outdone  by  these 
hardened  adventurers. 

The  boys  made  their  way  up  the  de 
clivity  as  best  they  could  through  the 
heavy  snowdrifts,  pulling  themselves  up 
by  clutching  at  young  trees  and  scrub. 
They  were  thinly  clad  and  very  cold,  and 
hunger  was  loud  of  speech.  When  after 
a  half-hour's  weary  climb,  they  reached 
the  summit,  they  drew  a  long  sigh  of 
relief,  but  their  enthusiasm  was  too  mod 
erate  for  words  in  present  physical  condi 
tions.  The  valley  lay  below.  Far  away, 
beyond  leagues  of  low  hills  and  wide 
valleys  something  white  reflected  the  sun. 
It  was  the  Mission. 

u  We  have  not  a  moment  to  rest,  unless 


200    The  Valiant  Runaways 

we  can  find  a  safe  hiding-place,"  said 
Roldan.  "  If  he  should  return  and  find  us 
gone,  he  would  follow  at  once." 

"  Where  shall  we  go  ?  "  asked  the  others, 
who,  however,  felt  a  quickening  of  blood 
and  muscle  at  the  thought  that  the  priest 
might  be  under  their  feet  even  then. 

"  How  near  is  the  next  rancho,  and 
whose  is  it  ? " 

"  A  league  beyond  the  Mission  grant. 
It  is  Don  Juan  Ortegas." 

44  Very  well,  we  go  there  and  ask  for 
horses." 

The  boys  made  their  way  rapidly  down 
the  slope,  which  after  all  was  only  that  of 
a  foot-hill.  Beyond  were  other  foot-hills, 
and  they  skirted  among  them,  finally  enter 
ing  a  canon.  It  was  as  dark  and  cold  and 
damp  as  the  last  hour  of  the  tunnel  had 
been,  but  the  narrow  river,  roaring  through 
its  middle,  had  caught  all  the  snow,  and 
there  was  scarce  a  fleck  on  the  narrow 
tilted  banks.  The  hill  opposite  was  the 
last  of  the  foot-hills;  but  how  to  reach  it? 
The  current  was  very  swift,  and  boys 
knew  naught  of  the  art  of  swimming  in 
that  land  of  little  water. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     201 

Suddenly  Roldan  raised  his  hand  with 
an  exclamation  of  surprise  and  pointed  to 
a  ledge  overhanging  the  stream.  A  hut 
stood  there,  made  of  sections  of  the  red 
wood  and  pine.  From  its  chimney, 
smoke  was  curling  upward. 

The  boys  were  too  hungry  to  pause  and 
reflect  upon  the  possibility  of  a  savage 
inmate ;  they  scrambled  up  the  bank  and 
ran  along  the  ledge  to  the  hut.  The 
door  was  of  hide.  They  knocked.  There 
was  no  response.  They  flung  the  door 
aside  and  entered.  No  one  was  in  the 
solitary  room  of  the  hut,  but  over  a  fire  in 
the  deep  chimney  place  hung  a  large  pot, 
in  which  something  of  agreeable  savour 
bubbled. 

Roldan  glanced  about.  "  I  'd  rather  be 
invited,"  he  said  doubtfully. 

But  Adan  had  gone  straight  for  the  pot. 
He  lifted  it  off  the  fire,  fetched  three 
broken  plates  and  battered  knives  and 
forks  from  a  shelf,  and  helped  his  friends 
and  himself.  Then  he  piously  crossed 
himself  and  fell  to.  It  was  not  in  human 
necessities  to  withstand  the  fragrance  of 


2O2     The  Valiant  Runaways 

that  steaming  mess  of  squirrel,  and  the 
boys  had  disposed  of  the  entire  potful 
before  they  raised  their  eyes  again.  When 
they  did,  Rafael,  who  sat  opposite  the 
door,  made  a  slight  exclamation,  and  the 
others  turned  about  quickly.  A  man  stood 
there. 

He  was  quite  unlike  any  one  they  had 
ever  seen.  A  tall  lank  man  with  rounded 
shoulders,  lean  leather-like  cheeks,  a  pre 
ternatural  length  of  jaw,  drab  hair  and 
chin  whiskers,  and  deeply-set  china-blue 
eyes,  made  up  a  type  uncommon  in  the 
Californias,  that  land  of  priest,  soldier, 
caballero,  and  Indian.  He  was  clad  in 
coyote  skins,  and  carried  a  gun  in  his 
hand,  a  brace  of  rabbits  slung  over  one 
shoulder.  He  did  not  speak  for  some 
seconds,  and  when  he  did,  it  was  to  make 
a  remark  that  was  not  understood.  He 
said:  "Well,  I'll  be  durned  !  " 

His  expression  was  not  forbidding,  and 
Roldan  recovered  himself  at  once.  He 
stood  up  and  bowed  profoundly. 

"  Seiior,"  he  said,  "  I  beg  that  you  will 
pardon  us.  We  would  have  craved  your 


The  Valiant  Runaways     203 

hospitality  had  you  been  here,  but  as  it 
was,  our  hunger  overcame  us  :  we  have  not 
eaten  for  many  hours.  But  I  am  Roldan 
Castanada  of  the  Rancho  de  los  Palos 
Verdes,  senor,  and  I  beg  that  you  will  one 
day  let  me  repay  your  hospitality  in  the 
house  of  my  fathers." 

"  Holy  smoke  !  "  exclaimed  the  man,  "  all 
that  high-falutin'  lingo  for  a  potful  of 
squirril.  But  you 're  welcome  enough.  I 
don't  begrudge  anybody  sup."  Then  he 
broke  into  a  laugh  at  the  puzzled  faces  of 
his  guests,  and  translated  his  reply  into 
very  lame  Spanish.  The  boys,  however, 
were  delighted  to  be  so  hospitably  received, 
and  grinned  at  him,  warm,  replete,  and 
sheltered. 

The  man  began  at  once  to  skin  a 
rabbit.  "  Seein'  as  how  you  haint  left 
me  nothin',  I  may  as  well  turn  to,"  he  said. 
"And  it  ain't  every  day  I'm  entertainin' 
lords." 

The  boys  did  not  understand  the  words, 
but  they  understood  the  act,  and  reddened. 

"  I  myself  will  cook  the  rabbit  for  you, 
senor,"  said  Adan. 


204    The  Valiant  Runaways 

44  Well,  you  kin,"  and  the  man  nodded 
acquiescence. 

14  You  are  American,  no  ?  "  asked  Roldan. 

44 1  am,  you  bet." 

"  From  Boston,  I  suppose  ?  " 

The  man  guffawed.  44  Boston  ought  to 
hear  that.  She  'd  faint.  No,  young  'un, 
I  'm  not  from  no  such  high-toned  place  as 
Boston.  I  'm  a  Yank  though,  and  no 
mistake.  Vermont." 

44  Is  that  in  America?" 

44  In  Meriky?  Something's  wrong  with 
your  geography,  young  man.  It's  one  of 
the  U.  S.  and  no  slouch,  neither." 

He  spoke  in  a  curious  mixture  of  Eng 
lish  and  of  Spanish  that  he  adapted  as 
freely  as  he  did  his  native  tongue.  The 
boys  stared  at  him,  fascinated.  They 
thought  him  the  most  picturesque  person 
they  had  ever  met. 

44  When  did  you  come  ?  "  asked  Roldan. 

44  I  '11  answer  any  more  questions  you  've 
got  when  I  Ve  got  this  yere  rabbit  inside 
of  me.  P  'r'aps  as  you  Ve  been  hungry  you 
know  that  it  does  n't  make  the  tongue 
ambitious  that  way.  I  '11  have  a  pipe 
while  it's  cookin'." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     205 

He  was  shortly  invisible  under  a  rolling 
grey  cloud.  The  tobacco  was  the  rank 
stuff  used  by  the  Indians.  The  boys 
wanted  to  cough,  but  would  have  choked 
rather  than  be  impolite,  and  finally  stole 
out  with  a  muttered  remark  about  the 
scenery. 

When  they  returned  their  host  had 
eaten  his  breakfast  and  smoked  his  second 
pipe. 

"  Come  in,"  he  said  heartily.  "  Come 
right  in  and  make  yourselves  ter  home. 
My  name  's  Jim  Hill.  I  won't  ask  yourn  as 
I  would  n't  remember  them  if  I  did.  These 
long-winded  Spanish  names  are  beyond 
me.  Set.  Set.  Boxes  ain't  none  too 
comfortable,  but  it 's  the  best  I  Ve  got." 

"  Oh,  this  box  is  most  comfortable," 
Roldan  hastened  to  assure  him.  "  And 
we  are  very  thankful  to  have  anything  to 
sit  on  at  all,  senor.  You  could  not  guess 
the  many  terrible  adventures  we  have  had 
in  the  last  few  weeks." 

"  Indeed  !  Adventures  ?  I  want  ter 
know!  You  look  as  if  hammocks  was 
more  to  your  taste.  Oh,  no  offence,"  as 


206     The  Valiant  Runaways 

Roldan's  eyes  flashed.  "  But  you  are  fine 
looking  birds,  and  no  mistake.  Howsom- 
ever,  we  11  hear  all  about  them  presently. 
It's  polite  to  answer  questions  first.  You 
was  asking  me  a  while  back  how  I  come 
here.  I  come  over  those  mountains,  young 
man,  and  I  don't  put  in  the  adjectives  I 
applied  to  them  in  the  process  outer 
respect  to  your  youth.  But  they  'd  make 
a  man  swear  if  he  'd  spent  his  life  psalm 
singin'  before." 

"  We  know,"  said  Roldan,  grimly. 
"  We  Ve  been  in  them.  What  did  you 
eat?  And  did  you  get  lost?" 

"I  ate  red  ants  mor'  'n  once,  and  I  usually 
was  lost.  When  I  arrived  at  that  Mission 
down  yonder  the  amount  of  flesh  I  had 
between  my  bones  and  my  skin  would  n't 
have  filled  a  thimble.  But  that  priest  — 
he  's  a  great  man  if  ever  there  was  one  — 
soon  fixed  me  up.  I  lived  like  a  prince  for 
a  month,  and  I  could  be  there  yet  if  I  liked, 
but  I  'd  kinder  got  used  to  livin'  alone  and 
I  liked  it,  so  I  come  here.  Besides,  I  found 
so  much  prayin'  and  bell  ringin'  wearin'  on 
the  nerves,  to  say  nothin*  of  too  many 


The  Valiant  Runaways     207 

Indians.  I  ain't  got  no  earthly  use  for 
Indians.  Why  priests  or  anybody  else 
run  after  Indians  beats  me.  Where  I  was 
brought  up  't  was  the  other  way.  They  're 
after  us  with  a  scalpin'  knife,  and  if  we  're 
after  them  at  all  it 's  with  all  the  lead  we 
kin  git.  If  the  murderin'  dirty  beasts  is 
willin'  to  stay  where  they  belong,  well,  I 
for  one  believe  in  lettin'  'em." 

"Do  you  —  ah  —  like  the  priest,  Don 
Jim?" 

"  What  ?  Well,  that 's  better  than  '  Don 
Himy,'  as  they  call  me  down  there.  You 
bet  I  like  the  priest.  He  's  a  gentleman, 
and  as  square  as  they  make  'em,  that  is, 
with  a  poor  devil  like  me ;  I  guess  he  's 
one  too  much  for  your  dons  when  he  feels 
that  way.  But  he  's  a  man  every  inch  of 
him,  afraid  of  nothin'  under  God's  heaven, 
and  as  kind  and  generous  as  a  —  as  some 
women.  What  he  rots  in  this  God-forsaken 
place  for  I  can't  make  out." 

"  What  did  you  come  to  California  for  ?  " 

"  Well,  that  ain't  bad.  I  come  here,  my 
son,  because  I  was  lookin'  for  a  cold  cli 
mate.  My  own  was  warm,  accordin'  to 


208     The  Valiant  Runaways 

my  taste,  and  somehow  Californy  seemed 
as  if  it  ought  to  be  fur  enough  away  to  be 
cool  and  nice." 

44  It 's  very  hot  in  the  valleys." 

44  So  it  is.  So  it  is.  But  as  you  see,  I 
prefer  the  mountains." 

"  Do  you  often  go  to  the  Mission  ?  " 

44  Every  month  or  so  I  go  down  and 
have  a  chin  with  Padre  Osuna.  It  keeps 
my  Spanish  in,  and  I  should  n't  like  to 
lose  sight  of  him.  I  got  word  from  him 
the  other  day  that  he  wanted  to  see  me 
mighty  particular,  and  I  'm  wonderin' 
what 's  in  the  wind.  Maybe  you  heard 
him  say." 

44  No,"  said  Roldan ;  but  he  guessed. 

44  Now/'  said  Hill,  44  spin  your  yarn. 
I  'm  just  pinin'  to  hear  those  adventures." 

Roldan  appreciated  the  sarcasm,  but 
was  too  secure  in  the  wealth  of  the  past 
month  to  resent  it.  He  began  at  the 
beginning  and  told  the  story  with  his 
curious  combination  of  reserve  and  dra 
matic  fire.  As  he  had  already  told  it 
several  times  it  ran  glibly  off  his  tongue 
and  had  several  inevitable  embellishments. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     209 

The  man,  whose  cold  blue  eyes  had  wan 
dered  at  first,  finally  fixed  themselves  on 
Roldan ;  and  his  whole  face  gradually 
softened.  When  Roldan  finished  with  his 
and  Adan's  rescue  by  Don  Tiburcio's 
vaquero,  he  held  out  his  hand  and  said 
solemnly,  — 

"  Shake." 

Roldan  allowed  his  hand  to  be  gripped 
by  that  hairy  paw ;  he  was  too  elated  to 
resent  it  as  a  familiarity. 

"You've  got  pluck,"  continued  Hill, 
"  and  I  respect  pluck  mor'  'n  anything 
else  on  earth.  You  're  a  man  and  a  gen 
tleman,  and  Californy  '11  be  proud  of  you 
yet.  Got  any  more  ?  " 

Roldan  related  the  tale  of  Rafael's 
prowess  with  the  bull,  his  own  encounter 
with  the  bear,  and  Adan's  timely  inter 
ference.  Hill  then  shook  the  hands  of 
the  two  other  boys,  and  told  them  that  as 
long  as  he  had  a  roof  above  his  head  they 
could  share  it,  and  that  he  'd  do  anything 
to  help  them  but  steal  horses,  so  help  him 
Bob.  Roldan  then  told  the  tale  of  the 
earthquake  and  stampede. 


210     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  Ugh  !  "  exclaimed  Hill,  with  a  shudder. 
That's  one  thing  I  can't  abide  —  your 
earthquakes.  I  tell  you  it's  enough  to 
take  the  grit  outen  a  grizzley  to  hear  the 
land  sliden  on  the  mountain  and  the  big 
redwoods  that  has. got  their  roots  about 
the  bed-rock  come  roarin'  down.  When 
an  earthquake  comes  I  go  and  stand  in  the 
middle  of  the  creek  so  as  I  can  see  what's 
comin'  all  round.  Once  I  was  on  the  side 
of  the  mountain  when  one  of  those  shakes 
come  and  I  slid  down  twenty  feet  before  I 
could  stop  myself.  It 's  just  the  one  thing 
that  has  happenned  to  me.  that  I  can't 
help  thinkin'  about.  Well,  what  kin  I  do 
for  you  ?  You  're  welcome  to  stay  here, 
but  this  hut  ain't  no  great  shakes  for  such 
as  you.  Be  you  goin'  home,  now  that  the 
conscription  's  over  ?  " 

"No!"  said  Roldan,  emphatically,  "  we 
are  not.  There  are  other  reasons  why  we 
must  go  to  Los  Angeles  as  quickly  as 
we  can.  Could  you  get  us  three  horses?" 

"  I  could  get  them  from  the  priest  —  " 

"No!  no!" 

"  Why,  what 's  the  row  with  the  priest  ? 


The  Valiant  Runaways     211 

Got  in  his  black  books  ?  I  should  n't  like 
to  do  that  myself." 

"  You  said  just  now  that  you  would  do 
anything  for  us.  Would  you  even  hide 
us  from  the  priest  if  he  came  here  ?  " 

"  I  would.  And  I  ain't  the  one  to  ask 
questions.  If  you  don't  want  to  see  the 
priest,  it 's  not  Jim  Hill  that  will  assist 
him  to  find  you.  Been  there  myself." 

"  Could  n't  you  get  us  three  horses  from 
my  father's  corral  —  the  Rancho  Encar- 
nacion  ?  "  asked  Rafael. 

"  I  could,  if  you  'd  go  with  me ;  but 
horse-stealing  is  just  the  one  thing  I 
agreed  not  to  do." 

"  You  might  go  with  him,  Rafael,"  said 
Roldan.  "  You  would  get  there  after  dark 
if  you  started  now  ;  and  even  if  the  va- 
queros  were  not  asleep  they  would  not  call 
your  father." 

"And  I  could  send  a  message  to  my 
parents,"  said  Rafael,  eagerly.  "  Then 
they  would  not  worry.  Yes,  I  will  go. 
The  priest  would  not  dare  to  harm  me 
while  I  was  with  the  Serior  Hill." 

"  Oh,  the  two  of  us  would  be  a  match 


212     The  Valiant  Runaways 

for  even  him,  if  it  came  to  that,"  said  Hill. 
"Well,  we'll  start  right  now,  there  bein' 
no  call  for  delay.  We  '11  have  to  foot  it, 
as  my  mustang 's  laid  up.  If  the  priest 
should  turn  up  here  —  which  ain't  likely 
—  jest  run  up  that  ladder  inter  the  garret 
and  pull  it  after  yer.  Well,  hasta  luego, 
as  they  say  in  these  parts.  Make  your 
selves  ter  home." 


XX 

"  1VTOW'"  said  Roldan,  as  Rafael  and 

1^1  Hill  trudged  into  the  perspective 
of  the  canon,  "  we  must  sleep,  but  by 
turns.  That  priest  will  surely  go  to  the 
cave  to-day,  and  when  he  finds  us  gone 
he'll  come  straight  for  the  mountains; 
and  not  through  the  tunnel  either;  he'll 
come  on  that  big  brown  horse  of  his. 
You  sleep  first,  for  two  hours,  and  I  '11 
watch  —  " 

"  You  first,  my  friend  —  "  Suppressing 
a  mighty  yawn. 

"It  is  easier  for  me  to  keep  awake.  Lie 
down  on  that  horrible  bed.  I  do  not  so 
much  mind  waiting  a  little  longer." 

Adan  lifted  his  nose  at  the  bunk  cov 
ered  with  a  bearskin,  then  flung  himself 
upon  it,  and  was  asleep  in  three  minutes. 
Roldan  sat  with  his  eyes  applied  to  a  rift 
between  the  hide-door  and  the  wall.  It 


214    The  Valiant  Runaways 

commanded  a  view  of  the  opposite  wall 
of  the  canon,  over  which  wound  a  zig-zag 
horse  trail. 

The  sun,  which  had  hung  directly  above 
the  canon  when  Hill  and  Rafael  departed, 
had  slid  toward  the  west,  leaving  the 
canon  cold  and  dark  again,  and  Roldan 
was  about  to  call  Adan,  when  he  sprang 
to  his  feet,  and  stood  rigid,  cold  with 
fear. 

On  the  brow  of  the  wall  opposite,  three 
hundred  feet  above  his  head,  stood  a 
powerful  brown  horse.  On  him  was  a 
huge  figure  clad  in  a  brown  cassock,  the 
hood  drawn  well  over  the  face.  It  was 
impossible  to  distinguish  features  at  that 
distance,  but  Roldan  fancied  that  those 
terrible  eyes  were  holding  his  own.  He 
recovered  himself  and  dragged  Adan  out 
of  bed. 

"  The  priest !  "  he  said.  "  Help  me  to 
wash  these  dishes  —  quick.  It  will  take 
him  some  time  to  get  down." 

Adan  stumbled  across  the  room, 
plunged  the  dishes  into  a  pail  of  drinking 
water,  then  handed  them  to  Roldan,  who 


The  Valiant  Runaways     215 

dried  them  hastily  and  piled  them  on  the 
shelf.  Then  he  flung  the  water  across  the 
clay  floor  of  the  hut. 

"Get  up  the  ladder,"  he  commanded. 
Adan  scrambled  up.  Roldan  followed, 
and  pulled  the  ladder  after  him.  The  gar 
ret  was  very  low,  and  half  full  of  skins. 
They  could  not  stand  upright.  It  was 
also  bitterly  cold.  Each  hastily  wrapped 
a  skin  about  his  body,  and  lay  full  length, 
Roldan  on  his  face,  his  eyes  applied  to  a 
chink  in  the  rough  floor. 

A  few  moments  later  the  door  was  flung 
aside  and  the  priest  strode  in. 

Roldan  shuddered,  but  not  with  per 
sonal  fear.  The  priest  looked  like  a  man 
who  had  just  left  the  rack  of  his  native 
Spain.  His  hair  —  the  hood  had  fallen 
back  —  stood  on  end,  his  face  and  tight 
ened  lips  were  livid,  his  eyes  rolled  wildly. 

"  Jim!  "  he  said  hoarsely.     "  Jirn !  " 

He  left  the  hut  as  abruptly  as  he  had 
entered  it. 

"  He  has  gone  to  look  at  the  mouth  of 
the  tunnel,"  whispered  Roldan.  "What 
fools  we  were  not  to  cover  it  up  again. 


2i 6     The  Valiant  Runaways 

Then  he  would  have  walked  its  length  to 
find  us,  and  the  horses  might  have  come 
before  he  returned.  Well,  he  cannot  get 
us  until  he  pulls  the  roof  down." 

"  He  could  do  it,"  whispered  Adan, 
grimly.  "  Those  hands !  Dios  de  mi 
alma ! " 

"  He  will  think  we  have  gone  somewhere 
with  Don  Jim." 

The  priest  returned  in  less  than  half  an 
hour.  His  face,  if  anything,  was  still  more 
terrible  to  look  upon.  There  was  a  touch 
of  foam  on  his  lips.  His  great  hands  were 
clinched.  He  strode  over  to  the  bunk 
and  lifted  the  heaped-up  bearskin.  Sud 
denly  he  pressed  his  face  into  the  fur. 

"  Perfume  —  Dona  Martina's,"  he  ex 
claimed.  "  They  have  been  here." 

He  raised  his  face  to  the  ceiling,  and  the 
boys  held  their  mouths  open  that  their 
teeth  might  not  clack  together.  They 
closed  their  eyes:  instinct  bade  them  give 
heed  to  visual  magnetism.  Roldan  imme 
diately  wanted  to  cough,  Adan  to  scratch 
his  nose.  The  next  few  moments  were  the 
most  agonised  of  their  lives.  They  felt  the 


The  Valiant  Runaways     217 

priest  lift  his  hands  and  pass  them  slowly 
along  the  ceiling,  they  felt  those  eyes 
searching  every  crevice.  Then  they  felt 
him  grip  the  edge  of  the  aperture  and  lift 
himself  until  his  eyes  were  above  the  gar 
ret  floor.  But  it  was  pitch  dark.  He 
could  not  even  see  the  ladder,  much  less 
the  boys  under  the  bear  skins. 

The  priest  dropped  to  the  floor  and 
seated  himself  upon  a  box,  dropping  his 
face  into  his  hands.  There  he  sat,  motion 
less,  for  hours.  The  boys  buried  their 
heads  in  the  skins  and  went  to  sleep. 

They  were  awakened  by  the  sound  of 
voices.  A  candle  flared  below.  Hill  had 
entered.  He  and  the  priest  were  alone. 

"  They  were  here,  sir,  that 's  true  enough. 
I  've  just  taken  them  to  the  Sennor  Carril- 
ler's  and  pointed  them  fur  home.  They 
seemed  in  a  hurry  to  vamos  these  parts." 

The  priest  groaned  and  struck  his  fist 
on  the  table.  "  Then  they  are  leagues 
away  by  this." 

"They  be,  for  a  fact.  Their  horses  was 
fresh  and  they  was  powerful  keen.  They 
was  just  sweaten'  to  git  home." 


218     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"And  Rafael  Carillo?  Did  he  go  with 
them  ?  " 

"  He  did  n't.  He  allowed  to,  but  his 
father  warnt  agreeable.  In  fact  he  was  — 
savin'  your  grace  —  cussed  disagreeable. 
He  corralled  us  as  we  was  corrallen  the 
horses ;  and  although  he  was  mighty  mad 
at  such  French  leave,  he  said,  speakin' 
of  the  other  two  kids,  that  they  could  take 
the  two  horses  and  git,  and  the  sooner  the 
better,  and  if  they  never  come  lookin'  for 
adventures  in  these  parts  agin  the  better 
he  'd  be  pleased." 

The  priest  did  not  appear  to  doubt  him. 
He  was  looking  through  the  doorway. 
Roldan  could  not  see  his  face,  but  he  saw 
the  stare  of  wonder  on  Hill's. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  priest,  after  a 
moment,  and  his  voice  was  hardly  audible. 
"  I  shall  return  now.  Can  you  come  down 
to  the  Mission  to-morrow  —  no,  the  day 
after.  I  have  a  secret  to  confide  to  you, 
and  it  will  not  be  to  your  disadvantage  to 
know  it.  I  had  no  intention  of  telling  any 
one,  but  I  need  help,  and  now  more  than 
ever.  There  is  no  time  to  be  lost.  Can 
you  come  early  ?  " 


The  Valiant  Runaways     219 

"  I  '11  be  there  between  dawn  and  ten 
o'clock." 

"  That  will  do.  Good  night."  And  the 
priest  went  out. 

No  one  spoke  until  the  sound  came 
up  to  them  of  a  horse  fording  the  creek. 
Then  Hill  said  cautiously,  — 

"  Hi,  there,  young  uns." 

"  In  the  name  of  Mary  let  us  come 
down,  Don  Jim,"  hissed  Roldan,  through 
the  crack. 

"  Well,  I  guess  you  kin.  He's  climbin' 
the  hill,  and  I  don't  see  as  there  's  anything 
to  bring  him  back.  I  hope  the  fleas  ain't 
et  ye  alive." 

The  boys  lowered  the  ladder  as  rapidly 
as  their  stiff  ringers  would  permit,  and  a 
moment  later  stood  on  the  floor  of  the 
room,  shaking  themselves  vigorously. 

"  Where  's  Rafael  ?  "  demanded  Roldan. 

"  Tucked  in  his  little  warm  bed  with 
a  warmer  hide,  I  guess.  The  old  man 
caught  us  in  the  very  act  of  horse  stealin'. 
Holy  smoke,  but  he  did  cuss.  I  ain't  got 
no  pride  in  Yankee  cussin'  left." 

"  What  did  Rafael  tell  him  ?  "  interrupted 
Roldan,  eagerly. 


22O     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  He  told  him  as  how  he  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  go  home  with  you  for  a  little 
paseo  —  " 

"  Did  he  say  nothing  about  the  priest? " 

"  Nothin'.  Never  opened  his  head  about 
the  priest  —  " 

"  When  I  'm  governor  I  '11  reward  him," 
said  Roldan,  warmly. 

"  When  you're  President  of  the  United 
States  you  might  make  him  Secretary  of 
State  —  " 

44  But  the  horses  ?  the  horses  ?  " 

"  They  're  tethered  just  over  the  moun 
tain.  I  suspicioned  the  priest  might  be 
here,  seein'  as  you  were  expectin'  him, 
more  or  less." 

"Did  Don  Tiburcio  say  about  me  —  us 
—  what  you  told  the  priest  ?  " 

"  He  did,  and  more  of  it.  He  was  as 
mad  as  a  bear  with  a  sore  head.  You  see, 
he  had  n't  had  no  peace  of  mind  for  some 
hours,  and  as  for  the  old  lady  I  believe 
she's  been  havin'  high  strikes  regular  since 
breakfast.  Now,  I  'm  hospitable,  but  my 
advice  to  you  is  to  git.  Like  as  not  the 
priest '11  see  old  Carriller  to-morrow,  and 


The  Valiant  Runaways     221 

then  the  cat '11  come  out.  I  kin  git  outen 
it  all  right  enough  —  I  '11  say  as  how  the 
old  man  did  n't  see  you,  that  you  were 
restin'  on  the  other  side  of  the  wall.  Like 
as  not  he'll  believe  me,  but  he  thinks  you're 
pointed  fur  home,  and  if  he  wants  you 
badly,  he'll  follow.  You'd  better  go 
South  fur  a  month  or  so  and  go  home  by 
barque.  I  '11  fetch  the  horses  down  now 
and  put  them  in  my  shed.  That  '11  rest 
'em  a  bit  and  keep  'em  warm,  and  then  you 
kin  start  the  minute  it 's  daylight." 

"  You  have  been  a  friend  to  us  in  trouble, 
Don  Jim,  and  I  shall  never  forget  it." 

"  Don't  mention  it,  Roily,  don't  mention 
it.  I  kinder  like  excitement,  when  I  ain't 
the  hero,  so  ter  speak.  There  's  only  one 
thing  I  've  got  to  ask  in  return  :  Have  you 
got  a  grudge  agin  the  priest  ?  " 

"  I  have." 

"  Be  you  meditatin'  revenge  ?  " 

"  A  Spaniard  never  forgives  an  insult." 

"  Oh,  .  .  .  have  you  got  it  in  yer  power 
to  injure  Padre  Osuna  in  the  sight  o' 
men?" 

"  I  have,  and  worse  —  for  him." 


222      The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  Don't  do  it,  young  man,"  said  Hill, 
solemnly.  "  Don't  do  it.  It  ain't  worth 
shucks  to  ruin  a  man  fur  personal  spite. 
You  '11  find  that  out  the  minute  you  've 
done  it.  You  '11  feel  small  and  mean ;  and 
if  you  want  to  be  a  great  man  —  and  I  kin 
see  you  're  ambitious  —  that  ain't  the  way 
to  go  to  work.  Padre  Osuna  has  his  faults, 
but  he  's  a  big  man  ;  there  ain't  none  bigger 
in  the  Californies  ;  and  he  ain't  the  man  to 
ruin,  without  thinkin'  a  lot  about  it  afore- 
hand." 

"  He  insulted  me  horribly,"  said  Roldan, 
shutting  his  teeth.  "  I  will  never  respect 
myself  until  I  wipe  out  the  memory  of  that 
moment." 

u  He  lost  his  temper,  I  suspicion,  and 
whacked  ye,  like  as  not.  Well,  I  '11  admit 
that  is  hard  on  a  don  of  your  size.  But, 
take  my  word  for  it,  you'll  feel  a  sight 
better  if  you  mount  the  high  horse  and 
forgive  him,  treat  him  with  silent  con 
tempt.  Nothin*  makes  you  feel  as  good 
as  that.  Tried  it  myself." 

"  I  must  think  about  it,  Don  Jim." 

"  Well,  do.     And  maybe  you  '11  remem- 


The  Valiant  Runaways     223 

ber  that  I  asked  ye  as  a  favour  to  let  the 
priest  off  this  time.  He  's  been  the  best 
friend  I  ever  had,  and  he  's  been  the  friend 
of  many,  young  'un." 

Roldan  stepped  forward  impulsively  and 
grasped  Hill's  hand.  "  I  will  never  speak," 
he  said.  "  And  you  can  say  to  Rafael  that 
I  wish  him  never  to  speak,  either.  Only, 
in  return,  Don  Jim,  I  insist  that  you  do 
not  tell  him  that  I  promised  you  this.  He 
shall  not  think  that  I  fear  him." 

"  Oh,  I  ain't  goin'  to  have  no  conversa 
tion  with  him  on  the  subject.  Don't  you 
worry  about  that.  Now,  I  '11  go  after  the 
mustangs.  You  lie  down,  and  when  I 
come  back  I  '11  cook  that  there  rabbit  for 
yer.  You  kin  git  dinner  at  the  Ortegas', 
but  don't  stay  there  too  long,  for  the 
priest' s  mighty  sharp." 


XXI 

THE  boys  were  once  more  adrift  in 
the  wilderness.  It  was  with  mixed 
emotions  that  they  said  good-bye  to  the 
hospitable  American  and  rode  forth  to 
new  experiences  and  dangers.  They  were 
now  tried  adventurers;  they  knew  their 
mettle ;  they  also  had  a  far  more  definite 
idea  of  what  danger  and  experience  meant 
than  when  they  had  fled  from  home  with 
the  light  heart  of  ignorance.  Roldan  felt 
several  years  older,  and  Adan  had  mo 
ments  of  reflection.  Moreover,  the  fine 
point  of  novelty  had  worn  toward  blunt- 
ness.  Nevertheless,  they  felt  no  imme 
diate  desire  to  return  to  leading  strings, 
and  were  glad  of  an  excuse  to  pursue  their 
way  south.  Los  Angeles  was  a  famous 
city,  the  rival  of  Monterey,  —  which  neither 
had  seen,  —  and  a  fitting  climax  to  an 
exciting  volume.  The  exact  arrangement 


The  Valiant  Runaways     225 

of  that  climax  was  compassed  by  the  im 
agination  of  neither. 

For  two  miles  they  kept  in  line  with  the 
foot-hills,  then  rode  rapidly  toward  the 
valley,  impatient  for  its  warmth.  So  far, 
barring  their  sojourn  in  the  Sierras,  they 
had  been  favoured  with  fine  weather ;  but 
winter  was  growing  older  every  day,  and 
the  sky  was  thick  and  grey  this  morning. 

The  Casa  Ortega  stood  on  the  shores 
of  a  large  lake.  The  banks  were  thickly 
wooded.  On  its  southern  curve  was  a 
high  mountain.  As  the  boys  approached, 
a  vaquero  sprang  upon  a  mustang  and 
rode  toward  them  rapidly.  Roldan  recog 
nised  one  of  the  men  that  had  been  at  the 
rodeo. 

"  At  your  feet,  senors,"  said  the  vaquero. 
"  The  Senor  Don  is  away,  and  all  the  fam 
ily  ;  but  I  am  mayor  domo,  and  in  his  ab 
sence  I  place  the  house  at  your  disposal." 

"  My  father  will  reward  you,"  said  Rol 
dan,  graciously.  "  We  would  ask  that  you 
give  us  dinner,  a  thick  poncho  each,  for  I 
fear  that  it  will  rain  before  we  reach  Los 
Angeles,  and  that  you  will  direct  us  which 
15 


226     The  Valiant  Runaways 

way  to  go.  The  ponchos  shall  be  replaced 
with  fine  new  ones  as  soon  as  we  have  re 
turned  home." 

"  Don  Carlos  would  not  hear  of  the  re 
turn  of  the  ponchos,  senor.  But  surely 
the  senors  will  remain  a  few  days,  until  the 
storm  is  over?  " 

"  We  dare  not.  But  we  will  rest ;  and 
we  have  good  appetites." 

The  mayor  domo,  still  protesting,  held 
the  horses  while  the  boys  dismounted,  then 
showed  them  to  two  bedrooms  and  bade 
them  rest  while  dinner  was  preparing. 
44  It  will  be  an  hour,"  he  said.  "  I  beg 
that  the  senors  will  sleep." 

The  boys  did  sleep,  and  it  was  two  hours 
before  they  were  called.  Then  they  ate 
a  steaming  dinner,  and  forgot  their  fear  of 
the  priest :  the  meagre  diet  of  squirrel  and 
rabbit  of  the  past  thirty-six  hours  had  low 
ered  their  spirits'  temperature. 

When    they    left    the    room    the  mayor 

domo  awaited  them  with  two  thick  woollen 

ponchos  —  large  squares  of  cloth  with  a  slit 

in  the  middle  for  the  head. 

"  These  will  keep  the  rain  out,"  he  said, 


The  Valiant  Runaways     227 

as  he  slipped  them  over  the  boys'  heads. 
"And  there  is  food  for  two  days  in  the 
saddle-bags,  and  pistols  in  the  holsters. 
Keep  to  the  right  of  the  lake,  and  enter 
the  mountains  by  the  horse  trail.  It  winds 
over  the  lower  ridges.  The  senors  can 
not  lose  themselves,  for  they  should  be  on 
the  other  side  before  dark — that  moun 
tain  is  the  meeting  of  the  two  ranges 
and  beyond  there  are  no  more  for  many 
leagues.  Then  the  senors  must  keep 
straight  on,  straight  on  —  never  turning 
to  the  left,  for  that  way  lies  the  terri 
ble  Mojave  desert.  By-and-bye  they  will 
cross  a  river,  and  after  that  Los  Angeles 
is  not  far.  Between  the  mountain  and 
the  river  is  an  hacienda,  where  they  will 
find  welcome  for  the  night." 

Roldan  thanked  him  profusely,  then 
said  :  "  I  have  reasons  for  not  wishing 
any  one  to  know  that  I  have  not  returned 
to  my  father's  house.  I  beg  that  you  will 
tell  no  one,  not  even  a  priest,  that  we  have 
been  here,  for  three  days  at  least." 

"  The  senor's  wishes  shall  be  obeyed. 
The  Senor  Don  returns  not  for  a  week. 


228      The  Valiant  Runaways 

No  one  shall  know  until  then  of  the  hon 
our  that  has  been  done  to  his  house." 

The  boys  rode  rapidly  through  the  wood 
over  a  broad  road  that  had  evidently  been 
traversed  many  times.  The  sky  was 
leaden,  but  no  rain  fell.  Nor  was  there 
any  wind.  The  lake  could  not  have  been 
smoother  were  it  frozen,  although  it  re 
flected  the  grey  above.  Wild  ducks  and 
snipe  broke  its  monotony  at  times,  now 
and  again  a  jungle  of  tules.  In  less  than 
an  hour  the  travellers  were  ascending  the 
mountain  by  easy  grades,  a  black  forest 
of  pines  about  them.  It  was  darker  here, 
but  the  road  was  clearly  defined,  and  they 
talked  gaily  of  adventures  past  and  to 
come.  In  Los  Angeles  they  had  many 
relatives,  and  they  knew  that  a  royal  wel 
come  would  be  given  them.  They  would 
see  the  gay  life  of  which  they  had  heard 
so  much  from  their  brothers;  and  they 
magnanimously  resolved  that  after  a  week 
of  it  they  would  return  to  their  anxious 
parents. 

"Ay!"  exclaimed  Adan,  interrupting 
these  pleasant  anticipations,  "  it  rains  at 


The  Valiant  Runaways     229 

A  few  drops  fell ;  then  the  rain  came 
with  a  rush.  For  some  time  the  wind 
had  been  rising;  suddenly  it  seemed  to 
leap  upward  to  meet  the  emptying  clouds, 
then  filled  the  pine-tops  with  a  great  roar, 
rattling  the  hard  branches,  bending  the 
slender  trunks.  The  boys  were  on  the 
down  grade,  and  there  was  no  danger  of 
losing  the  path,  although  the  rain  had  put 
out  the  sallow  flame  of  the  sun.  They 
pricked  their  horses  and  made  the  descent 
as  rapidly  as  possible.  But  it  was  another 
hour  before  they  were  on  level  ground 
once  more.  The  rain  was  still  falling  in 
torrents;  the  wind  flung  it  in  their  eyes 
as  fast  as  they  dashed  it  from  their  lashes. 
They  could  not  see  a  yard  ahead.  The 
light  of  the  hacienda  was  nowhere  visible. 
If  its  owner  was  away  from  home  and  his 
house  in  darkness,  then  was  their  plight  a 
sorry  one  indeed. 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  do,"  said 
Roldan,  putting  his  hand  funnel-wise  to 
Adan's  ear.  "  We  must  keep  due  south 
until  we  come  to  the  river.  Then,  at  least, 
we  cannot  go  wrong." 


230     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"  And  that  river  we  must  cross ! "  said 
Adan,  with  a  groan.  lk  Dios  de  mi  alma  !  " 

Roldan  had  great  faith  in  his  sense  of 
locality,  but  in  a  blinding  rain  on  a  black 
night  with  a  mighty  wind  roaring  inside 
one's  very  skull,  and  whirling  the  heavy 
poncho  about  one's  ears  every  few  mo 
ments,  it  was  difficult  to  preserve  any  sense 
at  all.  They  galloped  on,  however,  occa 
sionally  pausing  to  shout,  straining  their 
eyes  into  the  darkness  on  every  side.  But 
nothing  came  back  to  eye  or  ear.  Appar 
ently  they  had  the  wilderness  to  themselves. 
There  was  no  sign  of  even  an  Indian 
pueblo. 

It  was  during  one  of  these  halts  that  the 
boys  ejaculated  simultaneously:  "The 
river!" 

"  No,"  shouted  Roldan,  a  moment  later 
"  it  is  only  a  creek." 

"  Are  we  lost  ? "  demanded  Adan  ;  and 
even  the  loud  tone  had  a  note  of  pained 
resignation  in  it. 

"No;  I  think  this  must  be  what  he 
meant.  Some  of  the  low  people  say 
river  for  everything  but  the  ocean.  It 


The  Valiant  Runaways     231 

is  shallow,  and  we  cannot  turn  back. 
Come." 

They  rode  along  the  bank  until  they 
came  to  an  easy  slope,  then  crossed,  and 
cantered  on.  In  a  very  short  time  the 
storm  was  behind  them  and  the  stars 
burst  out,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  habita 
tion.  They  kept  on  for  an  hour  longer, 
hoping  for  a  welcome  twinkle  below  ;  but 
not  even  a  coyote  crossed  their  path.  As 
far  as  they  could  see  in  the  starlight  they 
were  on  a  plain  of  illimitable  reach,  bare 
but  for  low  shrubs  whose  kind  they  could 
not  determine,  although  once  Adan's  coat 
caught  on  a  prickly  surface.  The  atmos 
phere  was  warm  and  very  dry. 

Finally  Roldan  reined  in. 

"  We  must  rest,"  he  said,  "  and  build 
a  fire,  or  we  shall  be  stiff  to-morrow.  And 
it  is  long  past  the  hour  for  supper." 

"  The  sooner  we  eat  and  sleep  and  dry, 
the  better  for  me,"  said  Adan. 

The  boys  dismounted  and  tied  their 
horses  to  a  palm,  then  looked  about  for 
firewood.  There  was  not  a  tree  to  be 
seen  ;  they  had  not  passed  one  since  they 


232     The  Valiant  Runaways 

left  the  creek.  Nor  could  they  see  any 
sign  of  flint  with  which  they  might  set  fire 
to  a  clump  of  palms. 

Adan,  who  had  been  on  his  knees,  sud 
denly  remarked  :  u  There  is  not  a  blade 
of  grass,  Roldan.  What  will  the  mus 
tangs  do  ?  " 

"  They  are  eating  the  palm,  perhaps  that 
will  do  them  until  to-morrow.  But  the  poor 
things  must  be  as  hungry  as  twenty. 
Come,  let  us  strip,  hang  our  things  up, 
and  run.  The  water  is  in  my  bones." 

The  boys  peeled  off  the  clinging  steam 
ing  garments  and  ran  up  and  down  until 
hunger  sent  them  to  the  saddle  bags.  The 
mayor  domo  had  provided  them  abund 
antly,  and  once  more  they  looked  upon  the 
world  with  hopeful  eyes. 

"  But  we  must  sleep,"  said  Roldan, 
"  and  it  is  not  going  to  be  easy  for  mind 
or  body — if  there  are  rattlers  about  — 
with  no  fire.  We  must  take  it  in  turns. 
It  is  warm  ;  we  do  not  need  our  clothes  — 
ah  !  "  — for  Adan  was  snoring. 

Roldan  was  very  tired  but  not  sleepy. 
His  brain,  indeed,  seemed  unusually  alert, 


The  Valiant  Runaways     233 

and  he  got  up  after  a  time  and  prowled 
about,  pistol  in  hand.  He  had  been  in 
solitudes  before,  solitude  of  plain  and  valley 
and  mountain ;  but  there  was  something 
in  his  present  surroundings  that  reminded 
him  of  nothing  he  had  heard  of  or  seen. 
It  was  not  only  the  intense  stillness, 
unbroken  by  so  much  as  the  flutter  of  a 
leaf,  nor  even  the  vast  expanse.  The 
place  seemed  to  possess  a  character  of  its 
own,  and  its  character  was  sinister  and 
forbidding.  Once  or  twice  he  had  been 
in  the  cemetery  of  the  Mission  near  his 
father's  rancho,  and  the  ugly  feeling  that 
he  stood  too  close  to  death  came  back  to 
him ;  why,  he  could  not  define.  There 
was  no  sign  of  a  cross  anywhere ;  but 
he  felt  that  he  stood  in  a  dead  world, 
nevertheless.  Once  the  ground  quivered 
beneath  his  feet,  and  the  horrible  idea 
occurred  to  him  that  Southern  California 
had  been  swallowed  by  an  earthquake,  and 
that  only  this  desolation  was  left. 

He  went  back  to  his  comrade,  who 
slept  soundly  beside  the  horses,  also 
extended  and  breathing  deeply.  It  was 


234     The  Valiant  Runaways 

nearly  morning  when  he  woke  Adan,  so 
little  aptitude  had  his  brain  for  sleep. 
But  when  Adan  sat  up  he  fell  asleep 
almost  immediately,  and  when  he  awoke 
the  sun  was  high. 


XXII 

ROLDAN  raised  himself  on  his  elbow 
and  looked  about  him.  Adan  was 
some  quarter  of  a  mile  away,  approaching 
him,  leading  the  mustangs.  Cleaving  the 
horizon  on  four  sides  was  a  vast  plain. 
On  it  was  not  a  tree,  nor  even  a  hut. 
Here  and  there  were  clumps  of  palms  and 
cacti,  as  stark  as  if  cut  from  pale  green 
stone.  At  vast  intervals  were  short,  iso 
lated  mountains,  known  in  the  vernacular 
as  "buttes."  On  the  ground  was  not  the 
withered  remnant  of  a  blade  of  grass  ;  but 
there  were  many  fissures,  and  some  of 
them  were  deep  and  wide.  Of  the  things 
that  crawl  and  scamper  and  fly  there  was 
no  sign,  not  even  a  hole  in  the  ground ; 
for  even  reptiles  must  have  food  to  eat, 
and  there  was  nothing  here  to  sustain  man 
nor  beast.  The  fleckless  sky  was  a  deep, 


236     The  Valiant  Runaways 

hot  blue ;  a  blood-red  sun  toiled  heavily 
toward  the  zenith. 

"  Adan  !  "  shouted  Roldan  ;  he  was  sud 
denly  mad  for  sound  of  any  sort.  A  dis 
couraged  "  Halloa  !  "  came  promptly  back. 

Roldan  dressed  himself  rapidly.  His 
clothes  were  quite  dry;  indeed  the  very 
atmosphere  of  this  strange  beautiful  place 
was  so  dry  that  it  seemed  to  crumble  in 
the  nostrils.  As  he  finished  dressing 
Adan  reached  him.  The  horses'  heads 
were  hanging  listlessly.  Adan's  face  had 
lost  its  ruddy  colour. 

"  Roldan,"  he  said,  "  where  are  we  ? " 

"  I  know  not,"  said  Roldan,  setting  his 
lips. 

44 1  left  you  to  look  for  water,  and  there 
are  not  even  tarantulas  in  this  accursed 
place.  There  is  no  water,  not  a  drop. 
Nor  a  handful  of  stubble  for  the  horses." 

"  We  must  go  back  the  way  we  came, 
and  start  once  more  from  the  foot  of  the 
mountain." 

"Can  you  remember  from  which  point 
we  entered  this  place  ?  This  soil  might  be 
rock  ;  there  is  not  a  hoof-print  anywhere." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     237 

44  We  should  have  gone  south  and  we 
came  east.  On  the  northwestern  horizon 
is  something  which  looks  like  mountains 
—  a  long  range  —  almost  buried  in  mist. 
There  is  no  sign  of  a  range  anywhere  else ; 
so  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  go  back  to 
them ;  they  are  our  mountains ;  I  feel  sure 
of  that." 

"  If  the  horses  do  not  give  out.  They 
are  empty  and  choking,  poor  things. 
Well,  there  is  no  reason  we  should  not  eat, 
and,  thanks  be  to  that  good  mayor  domo, 
we  still  have  a  bottle  of  wine.  But  I 
would  give  something  for  a  gourd  of  water. 
However,  we  have  not  been  girls  yet,  and 
we  will  not  begin  now,  my  friend." 

The  boys  ate  their  breakfast,  but  their 
spirits  felt  little  lighter,  even  after  a  long 
draught  of  wine.  The  awful  quiet  of  the 
place,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  whinny 
from  the  mustangs,  seemed  to  press  hard 
about  them,  thickening  the  blood  in  their 
veins.  Roldan  was  filled  with  forebodings 
he  could  not  analyse,  and  strove  to  coax 
forth  from  its  remote  brain-cell  something 
that  had  wandered  in.  he  could  not  recall 
when  nor  where. 


238     The  Valiant  Runaways 

They  saddled  the  mustangs,  mounted, 
and  were  about  to  make  for  the  north 
west  when  Adan  gave  a  hoarse  gurgle, 
caught  Roldan's  arm,  pulled  him  about, 
and  pointed  with  shaking  hand  to  the 
south. 

14  Dios  de  mi  alma  !  "  exclaimed  Roldan. 
41  It  is  Los  Angeles.  We  were  right,  after 
all.  But  why  were  we  never  told  that  it 
was  so  beautiful  ?  " 

On  the  southern  horizon,  half  veiled  in 
pale  blue  mist,  showed  a  stately  city,  with 
domes  and  turrets  and  spires  and  many 
lofty  cathedrals.  It  was  a  white  city; 
there  were  no  red  tiles  to  break  those  pure 
and  lovely  lines,  to  blotch  that  radiant 
whiteness;  even  the  red  sun  withheld  its 
angry  shafts. 

Roldan  gazed,  his  lips  parting,  his  breath 
coming  quickly.  If  his  imagination  had 
ever  attempted  to  picture  heaven,  its  wild 
est  flight  would  have  resembled  but  fallen 
short  of  that  living  beauty  before  him.  It 
was  mystifying,  exalting.  It  was  worth  the 
dangers  and  discomforts  of  the  past  month 
multiplied  by  twelve,  just  to  have  one 


The  Valiant  Runaways     239 

moment's  glimpse  of  such  perfection.  And 
it  was  Los  Angeles !  A  city  of  the  Cali- 
fornias,  built  by  Indian  hands  !  No  wonder 
his  family  had  been  careful  to  leave  its 
wonders  out  of  the  table  talk ;  had  he 
known,  he  would  have  been  at  its  feet 
long  since. 

"  It  is  n't  the  wine  ?  "  asked  Adan,  feebly. 

"  No.  There  must  have  been  a  fog; 
before  ;  Los  Angeles  is  near  the  sea." 

"  Shall  we  start  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  slowly.  The  poor  mustangs  f 
But  it  will  not  be  long  now.  We  cannot 
be  more  than  two  leagues  from  there. 
See,  it  grows  plainer  every  moment ;  the 
fog  must  have  been  very  heavy." 

They  cantered  on  slowly,  the  mustangs 
responding  automatically  to  the  light  prick 
of  the  spur.  The  beautiful  alluring  city 
looked  to  be  floating  in  cloud ;  it  smiled 
and  beckoned,  inciting  even  the  weary 
famished  brutes  to  effort.  But  at  the  end 
of  an  hour  Roldan  reined  in  with  a  puz 
zled  expression.  "  I  do  not  understand," 
he  said.  "  It  seemed  not  two  leagues- 
away  when  we  started,  and  we  have  come 


240     The  Valiant  Runaways 

that  far  and  more,  and  still  it  seems 
•exactly  the  same  distance  beyond." 

"  The  atmosphere  is  so  clear,"  suggested 
Adan.  "  But  I  wish  we  were  there.  My 
mouth  is  parched,  my  tongue  is  dry — and 
the  horses,  Roldan.  Soon  they  will  be  as 
limp  as  sails  in  a  calm." 

"  True,  but  we  could  easily  walk  the 
distance  now.  We  could  return  for  them 
at  once  with  water  and  food."  But  he 
was  beginning  to  feel  vaguely  uneasy  once 
more.  The  odd  sensation  of  death,  of  a 
buried  world,  had  returned.  Could  it  be 
that  that  fair  city  beyond  was  heaven  ? 
Surely,  he  thought  with  unconscious 
humour,  it  was  very  un-Californian. 

They  passed  the  lonely  buttes,  the 
parched  beds  of  lakes,  salt-coated.  Still 
they  saw  not  a  living  thing;  still  the  city 
.seemed  to  recede  with  the  horizon,  its 
•sharp  beautiful  outlines  unchanged.  For 
some  time  the  horses  had  been  trotting 
unevenly.  Gradually  they  relaxed  into  a 
dogged  amble,  their  heads  down,  their 
tongues  out.  Every  now  and  again  they 
half  paused,  with  quivering  knees. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     241 

Adan's  was  the  first  to  collapse ;  it  fell 
to  its  knees,  then  rolled  over,  Adan  scram 
bling  from  under,  unhurt. 

Roldan  also  dismounted,  and  both  boys, 
without  a  word,  unsaddled  the  poor  brutes, 
thrust  the  pistols  into  their  belts  and  what 
was  left  of  the  provisions  into  their  pockets. 
They  cast  off  their  ponchos,  then  once 
more  turned  their  faces  to  the  south. 
But  they  did  not  advance.  They  stood 
with  distended  eyes  and  suspended  breath. 
The  city  had  disappeared. 

Adan  was  the  first  to  find  speech.  "  A 
fog  ?  "  he  asked.  "  A  rain  storm  ? " 

"  There  is  neither.  The  horizon  is  as, 
blue  and  clear  as  it  is  on  the  north  and  east 
and  west.  It  is  a  miracle.  Let  me  think 
a  moment." 

He  sat  down  and  took  his  head  between 
his  hands.  After  a  while  he  looked  up. 
"  For  hours  I  have  been  trying  to  remem 
ber  something,"  he  said.  "  Do  you  remem 
ber  what  that  mayor  domo  said  to  us  ?  — 
Keep  straight  on,  straight  on,  never  turn 
ing  to  the  left,  for  that  way  lies  the  terrible 
Mojave  desert.  I  barely  heard  his  last 

16 


242     The  Valiant  Runaways 

words  at  the  time;  that  is  the  reason  I 
have  had  such  a  time  remembering.  We 
are  in  the  Mojave  desert,  my  friend." 

Adan,  whose  mouth  was  still  wide  open, 
sat  down  and  rolled  his  eyes  from  east  to 
west.  "  Caramba  !  "  he  ejaculated  finally. 

"  I  could  say  a  good  deal  more  than 
Caramba.  All  that  I  have  heard  of  this 
Mojave  comes  back  to  me.  There  is  no 
water  on  it.no  living  thing  but  half  choked 
cacti  and  stunted  palms.  Men  who  are 
lost  on  it  go  mad  and  die  of  thirst  — " 

"Ay,yi,  yi !  " 

"  Si,  serior.  However,  it  might  be  much 
worse.  It  is  winter,  not  summer,  —  when 
the  heat  kills  in  a  day  ;  we  have  food  and  a 
little  wine  ;  we  are  young  and  very  strong ; 
we  have  not  come  so  many  leagues  that 
we  cannot  walk  back.  And  we  have  each 
other.  Think,  were  we  alone !  " 

"  Yes,  it  might  be  worse,"  said  Adan, 
"  but  all  the  same  it  might  be  six  or  eight 
leagues  to  the  northwest  better.  And 
that  city?  What  was  it?  Where  has 
it  gone?" 

"  I  do  not  know."     Privately  he  believed 


The  Valiant  Runaways     243 

that  it  had  been  a  glimpse  of  heaven,  and 
was  disturbed  lest  it  might  have  been  a 
portent  of  death.  But  his  mind  was  too 
active,  his  nature  too  independent  to  sit 
down  under  superstition.  If  he  died  on 
the  desert,  it  would  not  be  through  lack  of 
effort  to  get  out  of  it. 

He  stood  up,  setting  his  lips.  "  Come," 
he  said.  "  We  gain  nothing  by  sitting 
here,  and  we  are  both  fresh ;  we  can  walk 
many  leagues  before  night." 

"  Do  you  know  which  way  to  go  ? " 
asked  Adan. 

Roldan  swept  the  horizon  with  his 
eyes.  The  buttes  they  had  passed  had 
displaced  the  solitary  landmark  of  the 
morning.  There  was  not  a  hoof-beat  on 
the  hard  split  ground.  Roldan  shrugged 
his  shoulders. 

"  We  can  at  least  follow  the  sun.  Los 
Angeles  must  be  due  west.  Come." 

The  sun  was  past  the  zenith  and  slop 
ing  to  the  west.  The  boys  turned  their 
backs  upon  it  and  trudged  on,  only  paus 
ing  once  for  a  half-hour  to  divide  the 
meagre  remains  of  their  store.  Evening 


244     The  Valiant  Runaways 

came;  the  sun  leaned  his  elbows  on  the 
horizon  in  front  of  them,  leered  at  the 
contracted  visages  and  blinking  eyes  reso 
lutely  facing  him,  then  slid  leisurely  down  ; 
and  night  came  suddenly.  The  boys 
flung  themselves  on  the  ground  and  slept. 

They  awoke  consumed  with  hunger  and 
thirst.  Their  mouths  and  nostrils  were 
coated  with  the  fine  irritating  dust  of  the 
•desert,  scarcely  visible  but  always  felt. 
But  their  smarting  eyes  were  greeted  by  a 
refreshing  sight :  not  a  half-league  before 
them,  directly  in  their  course,  was  a  lake, 
a  lake  as  blue  as  the  metallic  sky  above, 
and  lightly  fringed  with  palms  and  orange- 
trees.  Beyond  was  a  forest  of  silver 
leaves  —  an  olive  orchard. 

"A  Mission!"  exclaimed  Roldan,  and 
-even  Adan  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
marched  westward  with  some  enthusiasm. 
But  alas !  although  they  trudged  with 
•dogged  persistence  for  fully  a  league,  striv 
ing  to  forget  the  gnawing  at  their  vitals 
in  the  exquisite  prospect  filling  the  eye, 
the  lake  seemed  to  march  ahead  of  them, 
in  perfect  time  with  their  weary  feet. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     245 

Suddenly  the  two  boys  paused  and  faced 
each  other. 

"  This  accursed  desert  is  bewitched," 
said  Roldan.  His  face  was  white,  but  more 
with  anger  than  fear;  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  he  realised  the  helplessness  of  man 
when  at  the  mercy  of  nature,  and  he  did 
not  like  the  sensation.  He  had  a  strong, 
and  by  this  time,  well  developed  instinct 
to  govern,  to  bend  others  to  his  will,  and 
he  swore  now  that  he  would  walk  out  of 
this  desert  unharmed  if  only  for  the  pleas 
ure  of  cheating  a  force  mightier  than  him 
self.  He  turned  and  looked  at  the  sun. 

"  We  have  been  going  in  a  wrong  direc 
tion,"  he  said.  "  That  lake  has  been  shift 
ing  gradually  toward  the  southwest,  and 
taken  us  nearly  a  league  out  of  our  course. 
The  first  thing  we  know  we  will  be  in 
Baja  California,  where  there  is  nothing 
but  deserts,  and  they  are  all  on  mountain 
tops.  We  must  strike  north  again.  I  am 
sure  that  last  night  we  were  due  west  of 
Los  Angeles." 

"  But  the  lake  ?  the  Mission  ?  " 

"  I   do    not    believe  there  is   any  lake. 


246     The  Valiant  Runaways 

There  are  things  you  and  I  do  not 
understand  in  this  world  —  although  we 
are  learning  —  and  I  believe  that  this 
strange  desert  has  the  power  to  make 
scenes  like  the  theatres  they  who  have 
travelled  tell  us  of.  Be  sure  that  lake  will 
disappear  like  the  city.'* 

They  turned  north  in  order  to  get  in 
line  with  the  sun;  and  out  of  the  tail  of 
their  eyes  they  saw  the  lake  march  with 
them.  When  they  finally  turned  to  the 
west  again  it  faced  them  once  more. 
They  linked  arms  suddenly  and  trudged 
on,  hungry,  parched,  beset  by  superstitious 
fears,  but  not  forgetting  to  turn  every  half 
hour  and  glance  at  the  sun  until  he  passed 
the  meridian  and  pointed  for  the  west. 
And  suddenly  the  lake  seemed  to  slip 
behind  a  wall. 

"  There  is  really  something  there  this 
time,"  said  Roldan,  closing  one  eye  and 
curving  his  hand  about  the  other.  "  It  is 
ugly  enough  to  be  real.  It  is  no  use  to 
say  how  far  anything  is  in  this  place,  but 
I  should  think  we  would  reach  it  before 
long." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     247 

And  long  before  they  did  reach  it  they 
knew  what  it  was  —  a  thicket  of  cacti 
some  two  miles  long  and  of  unknown 
depth.  The  plants  were  eight  or  ten  feet 
high,  and  the  broad  thick  leaves,  spiked, 
as  only  the  leaves  of  the  cactus  are,  looked 
to  be  welded  together.  But  that  was  from 
a  distance.  When  the  boys  reached  the 
thicket  they  saw  that  the  plants  in  reality 
were  some  feet  apart,  although  there  ap 
peared  to  be  no  end  to  them.  The  boys 
sat  down  suddenly,  their  strength  desert 
ing  them.  They  threw  their  arms  forward 
on  their  knees  and  dropped  their  heads. 
For  a  half  hour  or  more  they  sat  motion 
less,  then  Roldan  looked  up  and  fixed  his 
glassy  eyes  on  the  forbidding  wall,  which 
at  close  proximity  seemed  to  girt  the 
horizon. 

"  If  we  tried  to  go  round  it,"  he  said, 
"  there  is  no  knowing  where  we  should 
find  ourselves.  We  had  better  go  straight 
ahead,  if  possible.  If  it  is  too  thick  we 
can  turn  back." 

"  At  least  we  could  not  see  this  horrible 
desert  for  a  while,"  said  Adan.  "  I  am 
willing." 


248     The  Valiant  Runaways 

11  And,  who  knows?  Los  Angeles  may 
be  just  on  the  other  side." 

Their  utterance  was  thick.  Their  veins 
felt  as  if  packed  with  lead,  not  so  much 
from  need  of  food  as  need  of  drink.  But 
they  stumbled  to  their  feet  and  entered 
the  cactus  forest.  They  were  obliged  to 
pursue  their  way  in  single  file ;  the  spikes 
were  long,  and  many  of  the  larger  leaves 
abutted  so  obstructively  that  they  were 
obliged  to  go  down  on  their  hands  and 
knees  and  crawl.  Nor  could  they  main 
tain  a  straight  course,  but  zig-zagged 
among  the  great  plants  as  nature  per 
mitted.  More  than  once  they  heard  the 
rip  of  silk,  more  than  once  blood  sprang 
through  their  skin.  Their  progress  was 
slow  and  fraught  with  peril,  their  only 
consolation  that  the  end  must  come  sooner 
or  later. 

Night  came  suddenly.  They  were  near 
an  open  a  few  feet  in  circumference. 
They  lay  down  side  by  side,  knowing 
that  a  step  at  night  might  mean  instant 
blindness. 

The  cactus  never  moves,  not  even  in  a 


The  Valiant  Runaways     249 

storm.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind 
to-night.  The  thick  dull  green  plant-trees 
looked  as  solid  as  stone,  a  petrified  forest. 
The  sky  had  never  seemed  so  high  above, 
the  stars  so  hard  and  bright. 

Adan  moistened  his  lips  with  his  tongue. 
"Do  you  feel  that  you  can  last  another 
day  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  expect  to  die  of  old  age." 

"  Well,  if  you  do,  it  won't  be  the  fault 
of  the  Mojave  desert.  You  have  courage, 
and  so  have  I ;  but  this  is  worse  than  all 
—  Do  you  feel  that?" 

"  I  have  felt  it  many  times  before,  to 
day.  It  is  said  that  parts  of  the  Mojave 
shake  all  the  time." 

"  We  can  swear  to  that.  Supposing  a 
great  shake  came,  how  could  we  get  out 
of  this?" 

"  We  are  as  well  here  as  anywhere. 
Let  us  sleep,  and  rise  with  the  sun." 

But  although  he  spoke  confidently, 
almost  contemptuously,  he  was  possessed 
with  a  wild  desire  to  spring  to  his  feet  and 
fight  his  way  out  of  this  terrible  prison. 
He  had  seen  a  huge  fish  flounder  in 


250     The  Valiant  Runaways 

a  net,  and  looked  on  callously.  He 
should  never  witness  such  another  sight 
without  a  responsive  thrill  of  horror. 
Were  he  paralysed  from  crown  to  heel  he 
could  not  be  more  helpless  in  this  thicket 
of  needles.  The  vast  unpeopled  desert 
had  been  bad  enough,  but  it  had  been  in 
toxicating  liberty  to  this.  Tired  as  he  was, 
he  moved  his  hands  and  feet  constantly; 
supineness  was  impossible.  He  wondered 
how  men  felt  when  in  prison,  and  vowed 
that  when  he  held  the  law  in  his  hands  he 
would  invent  some  other  way  of  punish 
ment.  For  his  part  he  would  rather  be 
shot  at  once. 

Being  young  and  healthy,  he  fell  asleep 
after  a  time.  When  he  awoke  the  sky 
was  grey,  the  stars  had  gone.  He  shook 
Adan. 

"  There  is  no  sunrise  to  be  seen  from 
this  place,"  he  said,  *'  but  I.  am  sure  of  the 
direction  now.  I  took  note  of  that  big 
cactus  ahead,  last  night —  Hist!" 

14  Dios  de  mi  alma!"  whispered  Adan, 
his  tongue  rolling  out.  "In  this  place  I 
It  is  worse  than  earthquake." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     251 

Nothing  was  to  be  seen  from  Where 
they  stood,  but  from  no  great  distance 
came  the  faint  hollow  rattle  which  strikes, 
terror  to  man  in  the  wilderness.  The  vol 
ume  of  sound  was  suddenly  augmented: 
there  appeared  to  be  a  duet.  Immediately 
it  was  supplemented  by  a  loud  furious 
hissing;  a  moment  later  by  a  whirr  and 
impact. 

"  There  are  two,  and  they  are  fighting/' 
whispered  Adan,  his  eyes  bulging. 

Roldan  advanced  softly  to  an  aperture 
between  two  leaves  of  a  cactus,  then  lifted 
his  finger  to  his  shoulder  and  beckoned. 
Adan  turned  mechanically  in  the  opposite 
direction  ;  but  curiosity  overcame  him,  and 
he  joined  Roldan. 

Between  two  plants  not  three  feet  apart 
two  rattlesnakes  were  engaged  in  mortal 
combat.  -  They  coiled  with  incredible 
rapidity,  flew  at  each  other  with  burning 
eyes  and  darting  tongues,  burying  a  fang 
somewhere  in  the  tense  bristling  armours. 
The  lashing  tails  struck  the  spiked  surface 
of  the  cactus  and  augmented  their  fury; 
occasionally  they  whipped  about,  hissing 


252     The  Valiant  Runaways 

deliriously,  then  returning  as  swiftly  to  the 
only  enemy  in  sight.  They  had  coiled 
and  struck  some  four  or  five  times,  whip 
ping  all  over  their  narrow  arena,  when  as 
if  by  common  consent,  they  retreated  to 
extreme  opposite  points,  coiled  as  lightning 
strikes,  and  leapt  at  each  other.  Even 
Roldan  gave  a  hoarse  cry  of  surprise, 
and  as  for  Adan,  he  fell  into  vocabulary: 
one  serpent  had  darted  straight  down 
the  throat  of  the  other.  For  a  moment 
there  was  a  fearful  lashing.  The  choking 
serpent,  with  protruding  eyes,  like  small 
green  coals,  and  jaws  distended  in  agony, 
strove  to  dislodge  his  suffocating  enemy, 
and  the  other  humped  his  back  and 
leapt  backward  in  frantic  efforts  to  reach 
the  air  again.  But  suddenly  their  strug 
gles  ceased ;  they  flattened  to  the  ground, 
only  the  tails  moving  automatically.  What 
was  left  looked  like  a  monster  of  some  un 
known  species  ;  a  creature  with  no  head, 
a  huge  belly,  and  two  tails. 

"  Caramba  !  "  exclaimed  Adan,  "  I  could 
not  eat  that  even  if  we  had  anything  to 
cook  it  with.  It  looks  like  a  mass  of 
poison." 


The  Valiant  Runaways     253 

"  I  should  like  to  know  where  that 
poison  was  last  night.  It  may  be  a  good 
sign,  however :  as  they  are  the  first  living 
things  we  have  seen,  we  may  be  near  to 
the  edge  of  the  desert."  ^ ^_ 

Adan  crossed  himself. 

"Come,"  continued  Roldan,  "let  us 
move  on,  before  hunger  tempts  us  too- 
far." 

Once  more  they  started  on  their  tortu 
ous  way.  They  walked  very  slowly,  both 
from  necessity  and  inclination  :  the  excite 
ment  of  the  fight  over,  their  physical  neces 
sities  pressed  heavily ;  they  kept  as  close 
together  as  they  could,  but  rarely  spoke : 
they  were  too  hungry.  Both  were  op 
pressed  by  the  fear  that  at  any  minute 
they  would  come  upon  a  solid  wall  of 
cacti  and  be  obliged  to  retrace  their 
steps,  and  both  knew  that  might  mean  a 
stunning  blow  to  courage.  At  times 
the  constant  zig-zagging,  the  unalterable, 
smooth,  grey-green  surface  of  the  cacti* 
made  them  halt  dizzily,  for  both  brain  and 
body  were  sick  for  want  of  food.  But  by 
degrees  the  wood  «rew  thinner  and  thin- 

O  C5 


254     The  Valiant  Runaways 

ner;  and  when  the  sun  was  half  way  be 
tween  the  zenith  and  the  western  horizon, 
they  left  behind  the  last  straggling  out 
post  and  found  themselves  on  the  edge  of 
a  creek,  the  same  doubtless  that  they  had 
crossed  three  nights  before.  They  gave 
each  other  a  feeble  simultaneous  slap  on 
the  back,  gathered  their  energies,  ran 
down  the  bank,  and  took  a  long  draught 
of  the  running  water. 

"  I  feel  better,"  said  Roldan,  finally,  "  but 
hungrier  than  ever.  There  are  quail  in 
that  chaparral  over  there.  I  '11  go  after 
them,  and  do  you  hunt  for  flint  and  build 
a  fire." 

He  crossed  the  creek  and  entered  the 
brush  beyond.  Almost  simultaneously 
there  was  a  loud  whirr  of  wings,  and  a 
large  flock  of  quail  rose  from  the  chaparral 
a  few  feet  ahead  of  him.  He  had  only  his 
pistols,  but  he  was  a  good  shot,  and  he  de 
capitated  two  of  the  birds  in  rapid  suc 
cession.  Then  he  reloaded  and  killed  a 
squirrel.  When  he  returned,  Adan  was 
on  his  knees,  with  his  large  cheeks  dis 
tended,  coaxing  a  handful  of  dried  leaves 


The  Valiant  Runaways     255 

and  twigs  into  flame.  It  was  a  half  hour 
before  the  pyre  was  large  enough  for 
the  sacrifice,  but  after  that  the  birds  and 
squirrel,  which  meanwhile  had  been 
skinned  and  washed  in  the  creek,  were 
but  a  short  time  singeing.  It  was  an  ill- 
cooked  meal,  but  when  it  was  over  Roldan 
said  solemnly,  — 

"  I  have  eaten  of  all  the  delicious  dishes 
of  the  Californias,  including  many  dulces, 
but  nothing  ever  tasted  as  good  as  this ; 
no,  not  even  the  first  breakfast  at  Casa 
Encarnacion." 

"  Nor  to  me,"  said  Adan,  emphatically, 
and  he  crossed  himself. 


XXIII 

"TTALLO!"    shouted    a    peremptory 
O     voice.     "Hallo!    Hallo!" 
"  It's  the  Senor  Jim,"  gasped  Adan. 
Roldan  sprang  to  his  feet.     "  Hallo  !  " 
he  cried. 

There  was  a  heavy  trampling  in  the 
chaparral,  and  a  moment  later  Hill  rode 
into;  view.  He  took  off  his  sombrero  and 
waved  it  at  the  boys,  but  did  not  speak 
until  he  had  crossed  the  creek  and  dis 
mounted.  Then  he  turned  and  regarded 
them  with  his  keen  hard  eyes. 

"Well!"  he  exclaimed,  "I  never  calki- 
lated  to  see  you  alive  agin,  and  that's  a 
fact.  Hed  some  more  adventures,  I  pre 
sume.  Look  as  if  ye  'd  hed  more  adven 
tures  than  grub." 

"Indeed  we  have,  Don  Jim,"  said  Rol 
dan,  solemnly.  "  Should  you  like  to  hear 
them  ?  " 


The  Valiant  Runaways     257 

.  "Should  I?  Well,  I  guess.  You  and 
your  adventures  have  kinder  made  me  feel 
young  once  more."  l 

Roldan  told  the  painful  story.          ;  . 

"  Holy  smoke  !  "  exclaimed  Hill,  in  con 
clusion,  "you  are  tough!  And  two  mir 
ages  in  the  bargain.  I  was  lost  on  Mojave 
once,  and  to  my  mind  the  mirages  was  the 
wust  part  of  the  hull  game." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  asked  Roldan. 
"  What  are  mirages  ?  " 

"Mirages,  Roily,  are  what  ought  to  be 
and:  ain't,  what  you  want  and  can't  git, 
and  they  bear  a  hell-fired  resemblance  ta 
life.  I  see  you  don't  quite  understand. 
Well,  that  there  beautiful  city  and  that 
there  beautiful  lake  was  what  we  call  mir 
age  for  want  of  better  name ! "  And  he 
explained  to  .them  the  meaning  of  the  phe 
nomenon,  as  far  as  he  understood  it.  : 

"  We  have  certainly  learned  a  good  deal 
since  we  left  home,"  said  Roldan,  thought 
fully. 

"  There 's  room  for  more.  There  's  room 
for  more.  Now,  I  suppose  you'd  like  to 
know  how  I  come  here.  Wall,  I  Ve  got 


258     The  Valiant  Runaways 

a  confession  to  make  fust,  and  seein'  as 
you  Ve  been  so  nigh  to  death  in  the  last 
few  days,  p'r'aps  you  '11  furgive  me.  The 
day  after  you  left  I  went  down  to  see  the 
priest,  as  agreed.  I  found  him  —  well,  I 
don't  know  as  I  '11  tell  everything,  not 
even  to  excuse  myself.  It 's  enough  to 
say  that  he  was  half  luny  between  fear  and 
remorse.  He  told  me  —  I  suppose  he  'd 
got  to  that  state  where  he  had  to  tell 
somebody  or  bust  —  about  leavin'  you  in 
the  tunnel  to  die,  and  bein'  willin'  after  to 
kill  you  with  his  own  hands  —  he  was  that 
mad.  But  he  felt  terrible  sorry,  and  said 
that  if  you  told  on  him  it  would  serve  him 
right ;  only  that  would  mean  ruin  —  ruin 
—  ruin  —  a  terrible  word,  young  man. 
And  he  's  not  a  day  over  forty  and  calki- 
lates  to  git  out  of  Californy  with  that  there 
gold  and  be  a  big-bug  in  his  native  land. 
I  hesitated  some  time,  fur  I  ain't  no  slouch 
at  keepin'  a  promise ;  but  in  the  end  I  had 
to  tell  him.  Why,  a  man  ?s  a  criminal  if 
he  don't  put  another  man  out  of  misery 
when  he  kin  —  " 

"  You     did     quite     right/'    interrupted 


The  Valiant  Runaways     259 

Roldan.  "  I  am  glad  that  he  was  pun 
ished,  but  I  would  not  have  any  one  pun 
ished  for  ever/' 

"  Well,  I  'm  glad  you  feel  that  way.  He 
felt  good,  I  kin  tell  you  that.  He  looked 
ten  years  younger  in  five  minutes,  for  he 
said  as  how  he  knew  you  'd  keep  your 
word.  I  went  straight  off  and  managed 
to  have  a  word  with  young  Carrillo.  It 
warnt  no  trouble  to  make  him  promise  to 
keep  his  mouth  shet;  he  's  more  afraid  of 
the  priest  than  he  is  of  his  father's  green- 
hide  lariat,  and  that 's  sayin'  a  heap. 
When  I  went  back  to  the  Mission  I  told 
the  priest  that  I  thought  as  how  I  'd  go 
on  to  Ortega's,  and  see  if  you  got  there  all 
right.  When  I  got  there  and  heard  as 
how  you  hed  crossed  the  mountains  in  a 
terrible  storm  I  just  hed  to  go  on.  I  made 
straight  for  old  Sanchez',  who  has  a  haci 
enda  and  raises  grapes  just  this  side  of 
the  river.  He  was  drunk  as  usual,  but 
his  servants  hed  n't  seen  nothin'  of  you, 
and  then  I  was  seriously  alarmed.  That 
was  at  night,  and  I  couldn't  do  nothin' 
until  daylight,  so  I  got  a  good  sleep  and 


260     The  Valiant  Runaways 

the  next  mornirT  I  started  for  Mojave. 
I  know  it  pretty  well,  and  there  was  no 
danger  of  gittin'  lost.  At  nightfall  I 
found  your  horses  and  ponchos  —  the 
horses  was  dead,  poor  things.  I  slept  on 
the  desert  that  night,  and  the  next  mornin' 
rode  back  as  hard  as  I  could  put,  suspi- 
cionin'  that  you  would  have  sense  enough 
to  strike  west.  I  went  round  the  corner 
of  that  there  cactus  wood,  never  thinkin' 
ye  were  in  it,  and  I  expect  I  got  well  to 
this  side  before  you  was  out.  When  I  got 
to  this  creek  I  rode  up  and  clown  it,  then 
crossed  over,  thinkin'  ye  might  hev  gone 
on.  It  was  only  when  I  saw  smoke 
that  I  said  to  myself  for  the  fust  time  : 
*  There  they  be/  And  you  bet  it  did  me 
good,  for  I  was  powerful  worried." 

"  Don  Jim,"  said  Roldan,  "  you  are  a 
kind  and  good  man.  I  love  you,  and  I 
will  always  be  your  friend." 

"  So.  Well,  I  'm  powerful  glad  to  hear 
that.  You  ain't  much  like  'Merican  kids, 
but  you  're  pretty  clever  all  the  same,  and  I 
like  ye  better  'n  any  boy  I  ever  know'd, 
hanged  if  I  don't.  Don't  be  jealous, 


The  Valiant  Runaways     261 

sonny  "  —  to  Adan  —  "I  like  ye  too  —  but 
Roily  —  well  !  " 

"  You  would  not  like  Roldan  half  so 
well  if  it  were  not  for  me,"  said  Adan, 
whose  face  expressed  nothing. 
"  "  So.  Well.  Now,  be  ye  rested  ?  We 
want  to  git  to  old  Sanchez'  fur  a  good 
supper  and  a  soft  bed  to-night." 

The  boys  rose  with  alacrity.  Hill  bade 
them  mount  his  powerful  horse,  and  walked 
beside  them. 

Sanchez'  house  was  only  three  miles 
away,  but  the  road  lay  through  chaparral 
which  sprang  across  in  many  places.  It 
was  heavy  dusk  when  they  emerged.  For 
some  time  past  they  had  heard  wild  eccen 
tric  cries,  and  their  three  pistols  were 
cocked.  As  they  rode  through  a  grove  of 
trees  beyond  the  chaparral,  they  saw  a 
dark  something  rolling  toward  them.  In 
an  instant  Hill  had  snatched  the  boys  from 
the  horse  and  swung  them  to  the  limb  of 
a  tree. 

"  Hide  yourselves  among  the  leaves,"  he 
said,  "and  don't  even  breathe  mor"n  you 
kin  help." 


262     The  Valiant  Runaways 

He  gave  the  horse  a  sharp  cut  with  his 
switch  and  it  galloped  on ;  then  he  climbed 
a  neighbouring  tree  with  the  agility  of  a 
wildcat,  and  crouched. 

The  boys  gazed  into  the  dusk  with  dis 
tended  eyes.  The  cloud  came  on  with 
inconceivable  rapidity.  In  a  moment  it 
outlined  itself.  Those  were  living  crea 
tures,  fleeing.  A  stampede  ?  No,  men. 
.  .  .  What?  Indians? 

They  were  within  a  hundred  yards  now, 
and  their  lithe  naked  forms,  the  tomahawks 
and  bows  and  arrows  gripped  in  their 
clenched  hands,  could  plainly  be  seen  ;  a 
moment  later,  their  evil  faces,  distorted 
with  fear.  In  the  middle  distance  behind 
them  was  a  huge  column  of  fire.  A 
strange  figure  seemed  leaping  among  the 
flames.  It  was  from  this  scarlet  column 
that  the  strange  noises  came.  The  Indi 
ans  made  no  sound  beyond  their  impact 
with  the  atmosphere. 

They  deflected  suddenly  and  passed  to 
the  right  of  the  grove ;  a  moment  later 
the  three  in  ambush  heard  them  crashing 
through  the  brush.  Hill  waited  until  the 


The  Valiant  Runaways     263 

sound  had  grown  faint  in  the  distance 
before  he  swung  himself  down  and  helped 
the  boys  to  the  ground. 

"  That  was  a  close  shave,"  he  said. 
"  Them  was  murderin'  savages,  no  weak- 
kneed  Mission  variety.  I  'd  give  two  cents 
to  know  what  scared  'em  and  what 's  goin' 
on  over  yonder.  They  were  on  the  ram 
page,  which  same  means  thievin'  and  killin', 
or  my  name  ain't  Jim  Hill." 

"  We  're  used  to  Indians,"  said  Adan, 
with  gentle  pride. 

"  Oh,  be  ye  ?  Well,  if  them  Indians 
had  caught  you  fryin'  your  supper,  you  'd 
have  got  as  well  acquainted  with  the  next 
world  in  just  about  three  quarters  of  an 
hour.  Well,  we  Ve  all  got  to  foot  it  now ; 
but  it  ain't  far.  I  'm  powerful  anxious  to 
know  what 's  goin'  on  over  to  Sanchez' ! 
Mebbe  two  tribes  met  and  them 's  the 
victors  offerin'  up  the  tail  end  of  that 
there  valiant  army.  Golly  Moroo,  but 
they  did  look  scared." 

They  walked  on  rapidly,  but  without 
further  conversation;  they  were  all  hun 
gry,  and  the  boys  were  still  very  fagged. 


264     The  Valiant  Runaways 

As  they  approached  the  blazing  mass,  the 
figure  seemed  to  leap  more  wildly  still 
among  the  flames,  the  cries  to  grow  hoarser 
and  more  grotesque.  All  about  was  heavy 
blackness.  The  slender  branches  of  the 
burning  pine  writhed  and  hissed ;  they 
might  have  been  a  pyramid  of  rattlesnakes 
caught  in  spouting  flame.  Overhead  the 
stars  had  disappeared  beyond  a  heavy 
cloud  of  smoke.  It  was  a  sight  to  strike 
terror  to  the  heart  of  civilised  man ;  small 
wonder  that  the  superstitious  children 
of  the  mountain  and  desert  had  fled  in 
panic. 

They  had  advanced  a  few  yards  farther 
when  suddenly  Hill  flung  himself  on  the 
ground  and  gave  vent  to  a  series  of 
hysterical  yells,  at  the  same  time  rolling 
over  and  over,  clutching  at  the  grass. 
Roldan,  seriously  alarmed,  and  wondering 
if  any  other  boys  in  the  history  of  the 
Californias  had  ever  had  so  much  to  try 
their  nerves,  ran  to  his  assistance ;  he 
caught  him  by  his  lean  shoulders,  and 
shook  him  soundly. 

"  Don  Jim  !     Don  Jim  !  "  he  exclaimed. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     265 

u  Are  you  ill,  my  friend  ?     You  have  some 
whisky  in  your  flask,  no  ?  " 

At  this  Hill  burst  into  a  loud  guffaw. 
Roldan  and  Adan  looked  at  each  other 
helplessly.  The  Spanish  do  not  laugh 
often,  and  although  the  boys  dimly  real 
ised  that  Hill's  explosion  resembled — re^ 
motely  —  the  dignified  concession  of  their 
race  to  the  ridiculous,  yet  they  feared 
that  this  was  a  diseased  and  possibly  fatal 
variety. 

But  in  a  moment  Hill  sat  up.  He 
wiped  his  eyes,  and  with  some  difficulty 
controlled  his  voice. 

"  No,  I  ain't  ill,  young  'uns,"  he  said. 
"  But  them  Indians  'ud  be  pretty  sick  if 
they  knowed  what  they  run  from.  That 
there  object  cavortin'  round  that  there 
bonfire  is  old  Sanchez,  and  he  's  drunk. 
Oh,  Lord ! "  And  once  more  Hill  gave 
way  to  mirth. 

"  He  did  more  good  than  harm  to  get 
drunk  this  time,"  said  Roldan,  smiling 
sympathetically. 

' '  '  "  You  Ye    right,  Roily.     You  Ve   got   a 
long  head.     If  old  Sanchez  had  set  down 


266     The  Valiant  Runaways 

to  supper  sober  to-night,  there  'd  be  a  war- 
dance  round  another  bonfire  this  minute, 
and  his  scalp  'ud  be  bobbin*  bravely.  I 
don't  approve  of  liquor,"  he  added  cau 
tiously,  remembering  the  young  ideas  shoot 
ing  before  him.  "  I  only  said  that  there 
be  exceptions  to  all  rules,  and  this  is  one 
of  them." 

44  I  understand,"  said  Roldan,  drily.  "  I 
am  not  thinking  of  following  the  Senor 
Sanchez'  example.  But  do  you  suppose 
that  was  really  what  frightened  the 
Indians?" 

"Just.  Well,  I  guess!  They've  prob 
ably  got  some  idee  of  the  devil,  and  they 
thought  that  was  him,  sure  's  fate." 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  ran  forward, 
caught  the  bacchanalian  about  the  shoul 
ders,  and  rushed  him  in  the  direction  of 
the  dimly-looming  house,  throwing  one  of 
his  own  long  legs  into  the  air  every  now 
and  again.  The  boys  ran  after.  When 
they  reached  the  house  its  master  was  ex 
tended  on  a  settee  in  the  living-room,  and 
Hill  was  telling  the  tale  of  their  narrow 
escape  to  the  frightened  household. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     267 

"  I  don't  think  they  '11  come  back,"  he 
said  in  conclusion.  "  But  it 's  jest  as  well 
to  have  your  guns  ready,  and  for  one  or 
two  of  ye  to  set  up  all  night.  We  three  'd 
like  grub  and  beds  as  quick  as  you  kin  git 
'em  ready/ 

Never  had  beds  felt  so  sweet  as  they 
did  that  night.  The  boys  awoke  refreshed, 
themselves  again ;  and  no  Indians*  had 
returned  to  disturb  their  slumbers. 


XXIV 

HILL  met  them  as  they  entered  the 
living-room.  His  eyes  were  full  of 
news. 

"  Well,  boys,"  he  said,  4t  I  don't  know 
that  you're  in  fur  another  adventure,  but 
ye  kin  call  it  by  that  name  when  you  git 
home  if  you  like;  leastways  there  ain't 
no  doubt  about  it 's  bein'  an  experience." 

The  boys  forgot  the  waiting  breakfast. 
"  What  is  it?"  they  demanded  simultane 
ously.  "Quick!  quick!  " 

"  It 's  this.  I  don't  suppose  you  know 
more  about  the  history  of  your  country  'n 
most  kids  do.  Well,  Alvarado  and  Gen- 
eral  Castro  are  your  two  big  men  — 

"We  know  that,"  interrupted  Koldan, 
scornfully. 

"Oh,  you  do?  Then  mebbe  you  know 
who  'se  iMtvenor  at  the  present  moment." 

"  Micheltorena.      He    was    sent    from 

Mexico.      People  don't    like   him,  and  they 


The  Valiant  Runaways     269 
despise!  the  men  he  brought  with  him,  still 


more." 

u 


So.  Well,  I  allus  did  say  you  was  a 
remarkable  kid,  Roily.  However,  this  is 
the  way  the  case  stands  now.  Alvarado  's 
mad.as-hops.-to  be  ousted  for  a  furriner,  so 
to  speak,  and  Castro  's  been  bilin'  fur  some 
time,  because  General  Vallejo  's  been  pro 
moted  ahead  of  him.  So  the  two  on  'em 
determined  on  a  revolution.  They  had 
a  skirmish  on  Salinas  plains  that  did  n't 
decide  much,  and  then  Alvarado  and 
Castro  marched  south,  from  ranch  to 
ranch,  —  you  just  levanted  in  time,  —  per- 
suadin'  the  rancheros  to  uphold  their 
cause  and  give  'em  their  sons.  As  they 
have  a  way  with  'em,  of  course  they  got 
all  the  recruits  they  wanted,  to  say  nothin' 
of  the  finest  horses  in  stock  —  caponara 
after  caponara.  They  say  the  sight  when 
they  marched  into  Los  Angeles  was  some- 
thin'  to  go  hungry  for.  Of  course  all  Los 
Angeles  went  over  to  such  triumphant 
lookin'  rebels,  and  to-day  or  to-morrow 
there  's  goin'  to  be  a  big  battle.  I  only 
heard  this  mornin'.  Old  Sanchez'  brother 


270     The  Valiant  Runaways 

come  post  haste  about  two  hours  ago  fur 
his  gun  and  as  many  men  and  horses  as 
he  could  drum  up.  Of  course  Alvarado 
inarched  down  the  coast  valleys,  so  old 
Carillo  and  his  neighbours  are  eatin'  their 
breakfast  in  blissful  ignorance." 

44  And  shall  we  really  see  a  great  battle  ?  " 
demanded  Roldan,  faintly.  He  was  pale, 
his  nostrils  were. .  twitching,  "Alvarado! 
Castro  !  Micheltorena  !  " 

"Well,  you  kin,  if  you  bolt  that  there 
breakfast.  The  horses '11  be  here  in  about 
twenty  minutes,  and  a  battle  's  somethin' 
I  'm  pinin'  to  see,  too." 

The  boys  ate  their  breakfast  rapidly  and 
in  silence.  A  half  hour  later  they  were 
galloping  furiously  for  Los  Angeles,  es 
corted  by  the  equally  enthusiastic  Hill. 
The  river  was  low  and  quiet.  The  horses 
swam  it  without  let  from  tide  or  snag. 
Even  Adan  forgot  to  cross  himself.  Be 
yond  was  the  high  hill  that  lies  directly 
to  the  north  of  Los  Angeles.  Its  surface 
seemed  in  motion  ;  it  looked  like  a  huge 
ant-hill. 

"  Them 's    women,"   said     Hill,    a    few 


The  Valiant  Runaways     271 

moments  after  they  had  left  the  river  be 
hind  them.  "  Women  and  children.  The 
fight  must  be  on.  Hist!  Do  you  hear 
that  ?  " 

All  three  reined  in.  The  sound  of 
cannonading,  distant  but  distinct,  came 
to  their  ears.  Without  a  word  they  lashed 
their  mustangs  and  made  for  the  city. 
They  entered  it  in  a  few  moments.  It 
looked  like  a  necropolis.  Not  a  human 
being  was  to  be  seen.  They  spurred  back 
to  the  hill  and  began  the  ascent,  then 
paused  for  a  few  moments.  It  was  a  wild 
and  tragic  scene.  Hundreds  of  women 
and  children,  their  hair  streaming  in  the 
high  wind,  were  kneeling  with  uplifted 
crosses,  praying  aloud,  when  they  were 
not  weeping.  A  few  men,  Americans, 
were  passing  to  and  fro  among  them> 
administering  encouragement ;  but  their 
gaze  also  was  directed  anxiously  to  the 
north. 

Hill  dismounted  and  approached  one 
of  the  Americans,  conferred  with  him  a 
moment,  then  returned  to  the  impatient 
bo  vs. 


272     The  Valiant  Runaways 

"They  are  fightin'  in  the  San  Fernando 
valley,  three  leagues  to  the  north,"  he 
said.  "  We  Ve  got  no  time  to  lose." 

They  were  less  than  an  hour  reaching 
the  battlefield.  During  that  hour  Roldan 
scarcely  knew  how  he  felt.  When  he  left 
the  hacienda  he  was  possessed  by  an  in 
tense  curiosity  only  ;  but  with  that  first  dull 
boom  something  new  and  fierce  had  leapt 
to  life  within  him.  Every  few  moments 
his  fingers  moved  round  to  the  hip- 
pocket  that  held  his  pistols.  The  weeping 
women  and  children  had  made  him  quiver 
from  head  to  foot.  As  they  approached 
the  battlefield,  and  powder-smoke  mingled 
with  the  green  fragrance  of  winter,  he 
thought  that  his  nostrils  would  burst. 
His  ear-drums  were  splitting  with  the 
thunder  of  cannon.  Suddenly  Hill  caught 
him  by  the  arm. 

"  Look  !  "  he  cried.  "  There  be  Alvarado 
and  Castro  over  there,  and  Micheltorena 
on  t'  other  side.  Ain't  they  magnificent 
specimens  ?  Why,  what 's  the  matter  ?  " 

uLet  me  go!"  said  Roldan.  His  face 
\vas  deeply  flushed,  his  eyes  blazed. 


The  Valiant  Runaways     273 

"  Come,  Adan  !  come,  Adan  ! "  he  shouted. 
u  An  Alvarado  !  an  Alvarado  !  " 

"  Holy  smoke  ! "  cried  Hill.  "  You 
don't  say  you  're  meanin'  to  fight  after 
sweatin'  fur  a  month  to  git  clear  of  the 
hull  business  ?  " 

But  Roldan,  grasping  the  bridle  of  the 
less  enthusiastic  Adan,  was  already  far 
ahead.  The  boys  rode  straight  into  the 
melee,  firing  through  the  smoke  until  their 
ammunition  was  exhausted.  Even  Adan 
after  the  first  few  moments  lost  all  sense 
of  fear,  and  following  Roldan's  example, 
snatched  the  gun  from  a  fallen  soldier  and 
fired  and  reloaded  until  his  hands  were 
blistered,  and  his  eyes  half  sightless  with 
smoke. 

Roldan,  obeying  his  dominant  instinct, 
pushed  his  way  rapidly  to  the  front, 
attracting  much  attention.  Some  one  rec 
ognised  him,  and  during  one  of  the  many 
pauses  of  this  not  very  systematic  and 
furious  battle  some  one  cheered  the  little 
don.  The  cheer  was  taken  up  vociferously. 
It  boomed  across  the  battlefield.  A 
moment  later  a  man  came  dashing  across 


274     The  Valiant  Runaways 

with  a  flag  of  truce  :  the  cheering  was  sup 
posed  by  the  enemy  to  herald  the  advance 
•of  reinforcements.  The  truce  was  ac 
cepted  without  explanations,  and  Roldan 
was  hurried  into  the  presence  of  Alva- 
rado.  That  famous  governor  was  sitting 
on  a  magnificent  charger,  caparisoned 
with  carved  leather,  red  velvet,  silver,  and 
gold.  His  black  eyes  were  smiling,  al 
though  the  rest  of  his  pale  stern  face 
was  composed. 

"  So  this  is  the  runaway,"  he  said.  "  I 
demanded  you  from  your  father,  and  he 
was  much  embarrassed  to  confess  that  you 
had  fled  to  escape  the  conscription.  Well, 
I  am  glad  you  did,  for  you  have  saved 
the  day  for  me.  But  it  is  time  you  were 
in  Monterey,  for  you  Ve  got  the  face  of 
the  leader  of  men,  and  the  sooner  your 
education  begins  the  better.  Will  you 
come  with  me  ?  Your  father  will  not 
refuse." 

The  blood  was  pounding  in  Roldan's 
ears,  but  he  managed  to  reply  calmly  that 
lie  would  go. 

He    was    then    presented    to    General 


The  Valiant  Runaways     275 

Castro,  a  man  of  fine  military  bearing, 
with  classic  features,  but  dark  and  stern. 
His  eyes  were  as  sombre  as  Alvarado's : 
doubtless  both  knew  that  their  day  would 
be  short,  their  great  gifts  wasted  in  this 
far-away  land,  as  remote  from  the  great 
civilisations  where  lasting  reputations  are 
made  as  had  it  been  on  another  planet. 

He  shook  Roldan  warmly  by  the  hand, 
but  he  did  not  smile. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to 
train  you ;  and  as  you  are  young  and 
malleable  you  will  adapt  yourself  to  the 
new  order  of  things  when  it  comes.  Both 
Alvarado  and  I  will  write  to  your  father ; 
I  am  sure  he  will  send  you  to  us  in 
Monterey." 

And  then  they  graciously  dismissed 
him. 

As  the  boys  left  the  battlefield  they 
came  upon  Hill,  who  was  sitting  on  a 
hillock  eating  a  sandwich.  When  Roldan 
had  told  his  story  the  American  replied : 

"  Shake !  Roily,  you  Ve  got  a  heap  o' 
genius,  but  you  Ve  got  a  durned  sight 
more  luck.  You  '11  git  there  —  one  way 


276     The  Valiant  Runaways 

or  nother  —  if  the  skies  fall.     And  I   wish 
ye  luck,  I  do  for  a  fact." 

44  Don  Jim,"  said  Roldan,  gravely,  "have 
you  another  sandwich  ?  We  are  very 
hungry." 


THE   END. 


T-  -T-P  ON  THE  LAST  DA 


YB  72754 


261328 


